The Philippines made no commitment to remove the BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal, according to the National Security Council, as China repeated calls for the vessel's removal.

According to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Manila has promised "several times" to tow away the BRP Sierra Madre, a rusted World War II-era ship that serves as the country's outpost in the West Philippine Sea, "but has yet to act on it.

However, NSC spokesperson Jonathan Malaya stated that the Philippines' reported commitment is a "figment of their imagination."

The Philippine Navy purposefully grounded the BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal in 1999 to bolster Manila's sovereignty claim in the Spratly Islands.

The Philippines' exclusive economic zone includes Ayungin Shoal. Beijing claims the majority of the South China Sea as its own, including sections that Manila refers to as the West Philippine Sea, by drawing a "nine-dash line" on maps that an arbitration court in 2016 concluded has no legal basis.

The China Coast Guard halted and fired water cannons against Philippine boats on a resupply mission for troops deployed on the BRP Sierra Madre on Saturday, preventing one of the charter boats from reaching Ayungin Shoal.

China's maneuvers were deemed risky and illegal by the administration.

Since 2020, the Philippines has lodged 445 diplomatic protests over Beijing's presence and actions in the West Philippine Sea, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

China praised its coast guard's conduct as "professional, restrained, and beyond reproach.