THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the continued implementation of the provisional understanding (PU) with China on maritime operations in Ayungin Shoal will be up to the military.
DFA Deputy Assistant Secretary Rogelio Villanueva Jr. said the PU was crafted without prejudice to the 2016 Arbitral Award. It covers only the principles and approaches governing personnel rotation and the resupply (RORE) of essential materials to the BRP Sierra Madre.
He issued the statement following criticisms of retired Justice Antonio Carpio on the DFA concerning the PU implementation.
Carpio said that it unnecessarily limits the country's rights in the West Philippine Sea.
Villanueva, however, disagreed.
"It does not, and never did, restrict or limit the exercise of Philippine sovereign rights and jurisdiction under international law," Villanueva said in a statement.
The DFA spokesman for maritime affairs on Tuesday said the PU was crafted with the "knowledge of the highest levels of the Philippine government."
He said the government's 15 "incident-free" RORE missions to date have been possible only through the full knowledge and coordination of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard.
"Planning and execution — scheduling, routes, vessel deployment, and determination of supplies and personnel — fall entirely within their mandate, not the Department's," Villanueva said in a statement.
"Accordingly, the Department defers to the security sector on the Understanding's continued implementation, should they deem this necessary," he added.
Villanueva said Carpio's criticism of the DFA, however well-intentioned, was misplaced.
"With respect to the former justice, the RORE missions conducted under the Provisional Understanding are the product of continuing study by all relevant government agencies."
Villanueva said Carpio's proposed alternatives, such as airdrops, drones, fast boats, were studied and weighed before and throughout the PU's implementation.
"We welcome him to raise these directly with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard, who are best placed to assess their operational feasibility," he said.
