Military eyes info leak in foiled Rore mission

MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines is reviewing its security protocols and looking into all possibilities, including whether information may have been compromised, after Chinese vessels intercepted a Philippine resupply mission to Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal much farther away from the military outpost than in previous operations.

AFP spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad said on Wednesday that an after-action review was under way following the Sept. 24 rotation and resupply (Rore) mission to troops aboard BRP Sierra Madre, which was suspended amid the presence of Chinese coast guard and naval vessels.

Asked whether the AFP was considering the possibility that information about the mission had leaked, Trinidad said: “We are checking all the possibilities.”

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READ: US hits China’s harassment of PH mission to Ayungin

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“Right now, I don’t want to jump forward,” he added. “Every activity that we do, every operation, whether successful or not, whether it’s scheduled or not, there are always after-action reviews.”

Trinidad said the AFP has contingency measures covering communications, documents, personnel and physical security to prevent its operations from being compromised.

The review follows what Trinidad had described as an unusual development during the latest mission: Chinese vessels were already detected about 111 kilometers from Ayungin.

READ: AFP mission aborted due to Chinese ships

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Philippine vessels had previously been able to approach within about 28 km of the shoal before encountering a significant Chinese presence, he noted.

Trinidad declined to speculate on why Chinese vessels were encountered much farther from the shoal during the latest operation.

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“I don’t want to speculate on that. It will take more time probably to be able to do an assessment of that situation,” he said.

The Sept. 24 mission involved the civilian vessel MV Lapu-Lapu and three Philippine Navy and Philippine Coast Guard support vessels.

‘Compulsory measures’

The AFP earlier said three People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy vessels, including two Houbei-class missile boats, and five China Coast Guard (CCG) ships were monitored during the operation.

A Chinese naval vessel also issued a radio warning that it would take “compulsory measures” as the Philippine convoy proceeded toward Ayungin.

Trinidad said that Chinese vessels progressively closed the distance from about 28 km to 19, 15 and 3.7 km until they were less than 1.9 km away.

“This time, at about 60 nautical miles (111 km), shortly after we left mainland Palawan and had only gone past the halfway point, the PLA Navy and CCG vessels could already be seen,” he said.

According to Trinidad, reports that the Lapu-Lapu’s engine was not performing well, rough seas and the proximity of Chinese vessels factored into the AFP Western Command chief’s decision to suspend the mission.

But he clarified that the vessel’s engine had not broken down and described the decision as a “judgment call” to reschedule the operation before the situation escalated.

The latest disruption followed 15 incident-free Rore missions conducted since Manila and Beijing reached a provisional understanding on Ayungin in July 2024, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The understanding was reached after a series of confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels during missions to the Sierra Madre.

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The AFP has not disclosed when another attempt to reach the Sierra Madre would be made. /cb