Joe M . Reyes | September 25, 2026
MANILA — The Philippines called off a humanitarian mission to a disputed shoal in the West Philippine Sea after at least eight Chinese vessels blocked and prevented three local vessels from bringing food, water, and fuel.
Retired Rear Admiral Roy Trinidad said a civilian vessel, MV Lapu-Lapu, and three escorts from the Philippine Navy and Coast Guard were forced to turn back when three Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) vessels intercepted them.
“It was a judgment call by the unified commander,” Trinidad told journalists after the mission was aborted.
“They prevented the conduct of a sovereign and legitimate mission to deliver supplies and rotate the personnel manning BRP Sierra Madre,” Trinidad said, referring to the Chinese warships and Coast Guard vessels.
“We can’t say they blocked us. But they shadowed us, told us to leave, and they kept closing in[...] So to prevent escalation, the ground commander made the judgment call to call off the mission.”’
Trinidad said the Philippine vessels were about 60 nautical miles from Ayungin Shoal, where a rusting naval transport ran aground in 1999, when the Chinese flotilla emerged from nowhere.
China has three warships, including Houbei-class missile boats, and five maritime law enforcement vessels.
BRP Sierra Madre stood as the Philippines’ outpost to check China’s expansion in the West Philippine Sea. (Also read: Marcos summons Chinese ambassador over Ayungin Shoal incident)
A small detachment of Marines and Navy Special Warfare troops was stationed there, but they needed food, fresh water, and fuel to sustain living aboard a rusting ship.
China’s harassment of Philippine vessels has been increasing in both Ayungin and Bajo de Masinloc since August, ignoring a “provisional understanding” to allow humanitarian missions to Ayungin Shoal.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, believed to have rich deposits of energy and minerals. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam also have conflicting claims on the strategic sea lane where $3 trillion worth of trade passes annually.
The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) immediately denounced China’s harassment, saying it put at risk civilians and military personnel on a resupply and troop rotation mission.
China “put Filipino personnel at risk and obstructed a legitimate humanitarian and sustainment operation,” the NTF-WPS said in a statement.
It also said China’s actions were inconsistent with international norms, such as the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS), the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the 2016 Arbitral Award.
“The NTF-WPS calls on the China Coast Guard and the PLA Navy toimmediately cease interfering with lawful Philippine RoRe missions,” the statement said.
“The Philippines will continue to conduct lawful operations in the West Philippine Sea and exercise its sovereign rights and jurisdiction in accordance with international law,” the statement added.
Trinidad said the decision to abort the mission was made to avoid an escalation.
“Given the possibility of escalation that could endanger our personnel and vessels, the RoRe mission was temporarily suspended,” he said.