The Armed Forces of the Philippines has declined to provide its feedback on the near-collision incident between a Chinese Coast Guard ship and a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel, carrying journalists, within the Spratly Islands within the disputed South China Sea.
“Yes, nakarating na po ito sa amin. But I would rather let the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea, which is an interagency [body], to handle this issue because it is more capable… on this level,” AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar stated in the course of the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.
Created in 2016, the NTF-WPS is an inter-agency physique chaired by the National Security Adviser. Its foremost activity is to synchronize the federal government’s motion in addressing points within the West Philippine Sea.
On Friday, the Philippines referred to as on China anew to respect the authorized rights of the nation to conduct maritime patrols after a Chinese coast guard ship engaged a Philippine patrol ship in a harmful maneuver within the Spratlys, leading to a near-collision incident.
China blames the incident on the Philippine vessel’s “premeditated and provocative action.”
“It was a premeditated and provocative action for the Philippine vessel to barge into the waters of Ren’ai Jiao with journalists on board, the aim was to deliberately find fault and take the opportunity to hype up the incident,” a overseas ministry spokesperson stated at a daily press briefing.
The Philippine Coast Guard has reported that greater than 100 Chinese vessels had been noticed in the course of the maritime patrols of Philippine vessels within the WPS.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has stood agency on his promise not to surrender an inch of Philippine territory, together with the WPS amid the reported aggression of China within the disputed marine space.
In July 2016, the UN Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, primarily based on a case filed by the Philippines, junked China’s nine-dash-line declare masking almost your entire South China Sea, components of which Manila refers to as West Philippine Sea.
AFP’s Aguilar stated the Philippines will proceed its patrol its maritime territory.
“Basta sa amin tuloy lang ang maritime patrol, ‘yung sovereignty patrol natin… lalo na sa ating territorial waters doon sa Exclusive Economic Zone,” he stated.
China’s huge declare within the disputed sea overlaps with the unique financial zones of the Philippines, and different claimant international locations — Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam. —LBG, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
