SUMMARY
The humble Unaizah May 1 has been through the wringer, especially in 2023.
The Unaizah May 1 or UM1 is one of two boats the Philippine Navy uses in its regular rotation and resupply (RORE) missions to Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, where the rusty BRP Sierra Madre serves as a military outpost.
But what would have been its first resupply mission over the weekend (January 20 and 21) was thwarted by a “technical difficulty” that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) declined to elaborate on.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, January 22, AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Padilla said they had “identified that there was a technical difficulty” and that RORE would not take place until the AFP determined that the ship was “sea worthy.”
A source privy to the status …