DFA: RORE Deal With China 'Never Restricted' Philippine Rights

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs on August 13, 2026 issued a further clarification of the Provisional Understanding on Rotation and Resupply (RORE) missions to BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal, again responding to criticism from retired Justice Antonio Carpio. The DFA said the arrangement 'was crafted expressly without prejudice to the Arbitral Award' and covers only personnel rotation and material resupply principles, without limiting Philippine sovereignty under the 2016 Arbitral Award. The department called Carpio's concerns 'misplaced,' noting alternative resupply methods such as airdrops, drones and fast boats had been studied before the provisional understanding was adopted, and invited Carpio to raise his proposals directly with the AFP and Philippine Coast Guard for an operational feasibility assessment.