Senator Risa Hontiveros has filed Senate Resolution No. 589 demanding a legislative inquiry into the reported “provisional understanding” between the Philippines and China regarding resupply missions to Ayungin Shoal.
The lawmaker called for transparency following repeated aggressive actions by Beijing in the West Philippine Sea, questioning whether the arrangement truly safeguards Filipino military personnel.
“The only question is, is this agreement working? Because if it is to prevent trouble and protect our soldiers, why do they continue to be harmed while they are just doing their job?” Hontiveros said.
“The Senate needs to see exactly what was agreed upon, and whether the Philippines is actually benefitting from it,” the senator pointed out.
Hontiveros underscored her call by highlighting several violent incidents along the shoal, including a June 2024 confrontation that resulted in a Filipino sailor losing his thumb, a March 2026 incident where a fire-control radar was targeted at the BRP Miguel Malvar, and a July 2026 assault in which Navy personnel was struck with a wooden baton and required emergency medical evacuation.
Although the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) maintains that the understanding reduces the risk of miscalculation without compromising national sovereignty or allowing Chinese inspections, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. has explicitly denied the existence of any such pact.
Hontiveros criticized the apparent disconnect between the foreign affairs and defense sectors over national security policy.
“The DFA cannot claim there is an agreement while the DND says there isn’t. These are the agencies responsible for our foreign relations and national defense. It needs to be clear to both of them—and especially to our soldiers on the ground—what our policy actually is,” she said.
“This deal is supposed to calm our waters. Instead, our soldiers keep coming home injured. Either the agreement isn’t working, or it was never designed to protect us in the first place,” she added.
While recognizing the need to safeguard sensitive intelligence, Hontiveros emphasized that constitutional mandates on public disclosure must apply when national territory and troop safety are at stake.
“I am not saying that information truly sensitive to national security needs to be disclosed. But confidentiality cannot be used to hide from the public an agreement that affects our territory, our rights, and the lives of those we send there,” Hontiveros said.
“The West Philippine Sea issue is not something we can afford to negotiate in the dark. We do not need to escalate the conflict. But we need to be clear and firm,” Hontiveros said.
“Let us find out what has been agreed upon, improve coordination among our agencies, and ensure that no Filipino soldier is sent on a mission without a clear plan for their protection. We should not be groping in the dark within our own waters,” she stressed.
“The Filipino people have every right to know about what is being decided in our name, in our waters,” the lawmaker reiterated.