The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has addressed on many occasions attempts to mischaracterize the nature of Ayungin Shoal and the Provisional Understanding on the Rotation and Resupply Mission to the BRP Sierra Madre.

As stated from the outset, the Provisional Understanding is a set of principles and approaches observed by both sides in order to avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation in the conduct of the Philippines’ routine rotation and resupply (RORE) missions for daily necessities to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal. It is not a grant of or a request for permission to any foreign government, it does not recognize any foreign jurisdiction over Philippine waters, and was agreed on the express understanding that it does not prejudice national positions.

The Provisional Understanding does not require the Philippines to seek permission to undertake RORE missions, nor does it allow boarding and inspection of Philippine vessels, and, above all, it does not concede the Philippines’ sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction.

The Philippines’ legal position, grounded in UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) and vindicated by the Arbitral Tribunal, remains unchanged and non-negotiable.

The Philippines continues to conduct rotation and resupply missions, including normal shipboard activities in BRP Sierra Madre, as a matter of routine government function within Philippine jurisdiction and in the exercise of its sovereign rights under international law particularly UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Award, and will continue to do so for as long as necessary in line with the national interest.

The Department of Foreign Affairs reaffirms that Ayungin Shoal forms part of the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf of the Philippines, as provided for by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and settled by the 2016 Arbitral Award.

As a low-tide elevation, Ayungin generates no maritime entitlement of its own and cannot be claimed by any other state. The Philippines alone holds the sovereign right to authorize any structure there, and Philippine vessels do not require permission to sail to Ayungin. Department of Foreign Affairs