DFA Says It 'Defers' to Security Sector on Whether to Continue Provisional Understanding With China

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said on August 12, 2026 that it would defer to the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine Coast Guard on the continued necessity of the Provisional Understanding on Rotation and Resupply (RORE) missions to BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, further responding to retired Justice Antonio Carpio's criticism that the arrangement risks Philippine sovereign rights under the 2016 Arbitral Award. DFA Deputy Assistant Secretary Rogelio Villanueva Jr. said the Understanding 'does not, and never did, restrict or limit the exercise of Philippine sovereign rights and jurisdiction under international law,' and that planning and execution of RORE missions — including scheduling, routes, vessel deployment, and determination of supplies and personnel — falls entirely within the AFP and PCG's mandate, not the DFA's. He added the Department 'defers to the security sector on the Understanding's continued implementation' should the military deem changes necessary, and reiterated the Department 'will continue its work — meticulous, deliberate, and undeterred.'