Teodoro: Use of force vs BRP Sierra Madre an 'act of war'

This file photo taken on April 23, 2023 shows the grounded Philippine navy ship BRP Sierra Madre where marines are stationed to assert Manila's territorial claims at Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands in the disputed South China Sea.

AFP / Ted Aljibe

MANILA, Philippines — Following a report that China was mulling the removal of a grounded Philippine warship, Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro Jr. warned that any use of force against the BRP Sierra Madre would be an act of war against the Philippines.

"Any threats against BRP Sierra Madre will be taken very seriously, because it will be an act against a military vessel of the Republic of the Philippines," Teodoro said in an interview with reporters Friday, October 23.

Chinese Commercial News, a Chinese-language broadsheet in the Philippines with ties to Beijing, earlier reported that China was considering pulling the Philippines' naval outpost from Ayungin Shoal as retaliation for Manila's "recent actions." 

Asked whether the military would update its rules of engagement for troops aboard the ship to prevent it from being boarded by another nation's troops, Teodoro declined to discuss "operational matters." He instead restated the vessel's status.

"The BRP Sierra Madre is a ship of the Republic of the Philippines. If anything is attempted against it, or anything happens to it through the use of force, that is an act of war against the Republic of the Philippines," he said in mixed Filipino and English.

The defense chief was careful to clarify that any action taken by China toward the aging warship would be an "act of war" but not a "state of war." 

Under the 1987 Constitution, only Congress, by a two-thirds vote of both chambers voting separately, can declare the existence of a state of war. Acts of war refer to hostile action done by a foreign state against another. 

The 10 countermeasures. The report, published this week by Chinese Commercial News, said Beijing was losing patience with Manila and was considering 10 countermeasures.

The Binondo-based newspaper said Chinese authorities had not confirmed the measures and that it was unclear whether they had entered Beijing's formal decision-making process.

The options being weighed purportedly include towing the Sierra Madre away, blocking resupply missions to its crew, sanctioning Filipino politicians seen as hostile to China, and cutting oil and fertilizer supplies to the Philippines.

The Philippine Navy deliberately ran the World War II-era ship aground at Ayungin in 1999 to assert Manila's sovereign rights.

The shoal lies about 200 kilometers from Palawan, within the country's exclusive economic zone. It was a frequent flashpoint for confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels until both sides reached an "arrangement" in 2024 to de-escalate tensions.

The report by Chinese Commercial News surfaced amid a widening diplomatic row between Beijing and Manila. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs summoned Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan over his October 19 remarks that China could easily win a military conflict. Lawmakers have since filed resolutions urging the president to declare him persona non grata.

'No one has the right'

Teodoro also rejected Chinese claims that Manila sought Beijing's approval for Wednesday's rotation and resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre.

The China Coast Guard said the Philippines delivered supplies to the ship with Chinese approval, and that it verified the Philippine vessel and monitored the whole operation, according to the state-run news outlet Global Times. 

The newspaper later published a video it said showed a Philippine boat cooperating with a coast guard inspection.

"No one has the right to ask the Republic of the Philippines to ask for permission for a resupply of Sierra Madre. So that is false," Teodoro said. 

"We have no obligation to say what is on board, or what the cargo is, of a ship of the Republic of the Philippines," he said in Filipino.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, confirmed Thursday that the military did not ask China for permission prior to the conduct of the resupply mission.