MANILA, Philippines — Senator Risa Hontiveros has pushed for a Senate inquiry into the so-called “provisional understanding” between the Philippine government and China on resupply missions to Ayungin Shoal.
In filing proposed Senate Resolution No. 589, Hontiveros cited incidents including the June 2024 confrontation that cost a Filipino sailor his thumb, a March 2026 incident in which a fire-control radar was directed at the Philippine Navy frigate BRP Miguel Malvar, and a July 2026 incident in Ayungin Shoal in which a Philippine Navy personnel was struck with a wooden baton.
Hontiveros raised concerns about the effectiveness of the agreement amid the incidents, asking: “Ang tanong lang naman: gumagana ba itong kasunduan? Kasi kung para ito maiwasan ang gulo at maprotektahan ang ating mga sundalo, bakit patuloy silang sinasaktan habang ginagawa lang nila ang trabaho nila?”
(The question is: does this agreement work? Because if this is to avoid conflict and to protect our soldiers, then why are they still attacked while they are just doing their job?)
READ: DFA: Ayungin deal does not require China’s approval for PH missions
“The Senate needs to see exactly what was agreed upon, and whether the Philippines is actually benefiting from it,” Hontiveros said in a press release on Tuesday.
The Department of Foreign Affairs earlier said that the Philippines does not need China’s permission to conduct rotation and resupply missions to Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal. It noted that the 2024 provisional agreement with Beijing does not recognize any Chinese authority over the Philippine waters.
Hontiveros also said that the resolution invokes the 1987 Constitution to provide for the disclosure of government transactions which concern public interest. She emphasized that the West Philippine Sea “is not something we can afford to negotiate in the dark.”
READ: China has no right to to question Philippine activities at Ayungin
“Hindi ko sinasabing kailangang ilantad ang impormasyong tunay na sensitibo sa national security. Pero hindi rin puwedeng gamitin ang confidentiality para itago sa taumbayan ang isang kasunduang nakakaapekto sa ating teritoryo, sa ating mga karapatan, at sa buhay ng mga ipinapadala natin doon,” she noted.
(I’m not saying to disclose sensitive information in relation to national security. But we can’t just use confidentiality to hide to the people an agreement that affects our territory, our rights, and the lives of people deployed there.)
She then called for strict coordination between agencies to ensure that no Philippine soldiers will be deployed in missions without having proper security and safety measures.
Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan also earlier sought a Senate investigation into the same so-called provisional agreement, where he pushed for the Senate to assess whether the understanding is consistent with the 2016 arbitral award. /dl
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