The Philippine National Security Council, Navy, and National Bureau of Investigation held a joint press briefing on Monday to address unspecified "developments" at Ayungin Shoal (a disputed reef in the South China Sea where the Philippines maintains a military outpost aboard the grounded vessel BRP Sierra Madre). Separately, the Philippine House of Representatives convened a joint committee hearing to assess the impact of the Middle East crisis on the country's energy supply, following President Marcos's Executive Order 110 declaring a state of national energy emergency. Lawmakers are working toward a relief package — informally dubbed "Bayanihan 3" — that could include fuel price caps or VAT suspensions, though concrete measures have yet to be finalised.
Mosaic News
Philippines monitors Ayungin Shoal tensions while grappling with Middle East energy crisis[Updated]
The Philippines' accusations come despite a 2016 international arbitral ruling — which Beijing has consistently rejected — that found China's sweeping claims over the South China Sea have no legal basis under international law. Second Thomas Shoal has previously been the site of violent confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels, underscoring the broader pattern of hostility in the disputed waters.
At Monday's joint press briefing, Philippine Navy spokesman Rear Admiral Roy Trinidad displayed photographs of yellow bottles allegedly seized from Chinese fishermen in waters near Second Thomas Shoal, which authorities say contained cyanide. The National Security Council alleged that the poisoning of the shoal's waters began last year, with Chinese fishermen suspected of deliberately introducing the chemical into the area. Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands chain, sits near major shipping lanes and is believed to hold significant mineral deposits.