COMMAND CONFERENCE. President Marcos listens intently during a command conference he called Monday with all security authorities to discuss the latest actions by Chinese ships in the West Philippine Sea, as Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro calls out China’s actions in blocking Philippine resupply missions in the waterway as ‘deliberate’ in a press conference afterward.
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro took it one step further Monday, labeling the Chinese actions near Ayungin Shoal deliberate. China has said a “slight collision” happened after the Philippine resupply boat ignored “multiple warnings and deliberately passed through law enforcement in an unprofessional and dangerous manner”.
His comments came hours after President Marcos met with security officials and ordered the PCG to investigate the incident, which was “being taken seriously at the highest level of government,” his communications team said. The PCG said it would complete its probe in five days. Earlier Monday, the Department of Foreign Affairs summoned China’s ambassador to Manila, Huang Xilian, and lodged a diplomatic protest over the incident.
The Philippines reiterated its call for China to stop “provocative actions,” warning that its attempts to block Manila’s resupply missions could have “disastrous results.” Previously warm ties between Manila and Beijing have cooled since Marcos took power in June 2022, as he seeks stronger relations with the United States.
“The United States reaffirms that Article IV of the 1951 US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty extends to armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, public vessels and aircraft—including those of its Coast Guard—anywhere in the South China Sea,” it added.
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