Philippine Defense Secretary Teodoro: Any Chinese Attempt to Tow Away BRP Sierra Madre Would Be an Act of War
MANILA — Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said in a virtual interview with reporters on October 23 that any attempt by China to forcibly tow away the BRP Sierra Madre, the Philippine Navy vessel grounded at Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal), would constitute an "act of war" against the Republic of the Philippines.
"Any threat against BRP Sierra Madre will be taken very seriously because it will be an act against a military vessel of the Republic of the Philippines," Teodoro said. The vessel is a ship of the Republic of the Philippines, he said, adding: "If anything is attempted against it, or anything happens to it through the use of force, that is an act of war against the Republic of the Philippines." He clarified that an "act of war" is different from a "state of war": under the 1987 Philippine Constitution, only the President and Congress can declare the existence of a state of war, by a two-thirds vote of both chambers voting separately, and he as defense secretary has no such authority.
Asked whether a Chinese attempt to board or tow the vessel could trigger the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty between the Philippines and the United States, Teodoro said "the possibility is open," but that whether it would engender a treaty response would be a decision for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. He declined to discuss whether the military would update the rules of engagement for troops aboard the ship, citing operational matters. Teodoro also rejected claims in Chinese media that Manila had notified the China Coast Guard ahead of its resupply missions, saying the Philippines needs no one's permission to resupply its own warship. Asked about reported economic sanctions, he said the Philippines' dependence on China could be used as a weapon against it, and urged the government and the private sector to strengthen domestic industries and diversify supply chains.
The remarks responded to a report published this week by the Chinese Commercial News, a Chinese-language newspaper in Manila, which said China is considering ten countermeasures against the Philippines, including towing the Sierra Madre off the shoal, blocking Philippine resupply missions and imposing trade sanctions, as well as barring some Philippine politicians from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau and freezing their assets in China. The newspaper noted that Chinese authorities have not confirmed the measures. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs had earlier rebuked social media posts by the Chinese Embassy in Manila about the reported measures, calling them escalatory and undiplomatic. As of publication, Chinese officials had not publicly responded to Teodoro's October 23 remarks. China's Ministry of National Defense has repeatedly said that Ren'ai Jiao (Ayungin Shoal) is part of China's Nansha Islands, that Philippine territory does not include Huangyan Dao or the Nansha Islands, and that the Philippines should promptly tow away the warship illegally "grounded" at the shoal.
The Sierra Madre, a World War II-era tank landing ship with hull number LS-57, was grounded at Ayungin Shoal in 1999 and serves as a Philippine military outpost, manned by Philippine Marines, to which the Philippines regularly runs rotation and resupply missions. The shoal lies about 194 kilometers west of Palawan; the Philippines says it sits within the Philippine exclusive economic zone, while China claims sovereignty over the Nansha (Spratly) Islands and their adjacent waters. In 2016, an arbitral tribunal in The Hague ruled that the legal basis for China's sweeping historic-rights claims within its "nine-dash line" was invalid; China has refused to recognize the ruling. In September, the Armed Forces of the Philippines suspended a resupply mission after Chinese coast guard and naval vessels obstructed Philippine ships near the shoal, and earlier this month the Philippine Coast Guard said Chinese vessels delayed a medical evacuation from the Sierra Madre by nearly 10 hours. The Philippines completed another rotation and resupply mission to the vessel several days ago.
(Pictured: the Philippine flag flying aboard BRP Sierra Madre, in a 2017 file photo.)
Source: GSM · America
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：「马德雷山号」（BRP Sierra Madre，舷号 LS-57）舰上飘扬的菲律宾国旗，2017年。图片来源：菲律宾海军西部海军部队（Naval Forces West），公共领域，经维基共享资源。Photo: The Philippine flag flying aboard BRP Sierra Madre (LS-57), 2017. Source: Philippine Navy, Naval Forces West; public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
- 2026-10-16China's Defense Ministry: Philippine Territory Does Not Include Huangyan Dao or the Nansha Islands; China Will Take Resolute Action Against Moves That Stir Up Trouble in the South China Sea
- 2026-10-20China's Southern Theater Command Says USS Charleston Entered Waters Near Xianbin Jiao on October 20; Chinese Forces Monitored the Ship
- 2026-10-23Philippine Defense Secretary Teodoro: Any Chinese Attempt to Tow Away BRP Sierra Madre Would Be an Act of WarThis story
