| PHOTO: INQUIRER.net / John Eric Mendoza
PALAWAN, Philippines — Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief-of-Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. on Thursday visited troops in charge of Palawan and Kalayaan Islands in the wake of the Chinese vessel’s water cannon attack against the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in Ayungin Shoal.
A welcome ceremony was held in Western Command Headquarters here in Puerto Princesa City to welcome Brawner.
Brawner also joined the situational briefing presided by Western Command (Wescom) chief Vice Admiral Carlos about the recent development in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
LOOK: AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. pays visit to the Western Command, the unified command in charge of Palawan and Kalayaan Islands, including Ayungin Shoal.
This visit came in the heels of China’s water cannon attack in Ayugin Shoal over the weekend. @inquirerdotnet pic.twitter.com/8fqI9x6wZB
— John Eric Mendoza (@JEMendozaINQ) August 10, 2023
Last Saturday, a China Coast Guard vessel fired a water cannon at PCG and military supply vessels delivering food, water, fuel, and other supplies to military troops stationed at the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.
The grounded BRP Sierra Madre is a decommissioned Philippine Navy vessel that has hosted a small contingent of military personnel to assert Manila’s claim to the disputed waters since 1999.
In 2014, the Chinese vessels also used water cannons against Filipino fishermen in Panatag Shoal, also known as Scarborough Shoal and Bajo de Masinloc, in the WPS.
China’s actions are anchored on its assertion that it has jurisdiction over almost all areas in the South China Sea, including the WPS through its nine-dash line.
But the Philippines challenged this before the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which later invalidated Beijing’s sweeping claim.