Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Monday stressed that almost half a million Filipino seafarers’ well-being may be affected should the Philippine government “stick its nose” to the latest incident near Scarborough shoal involving a Chinese naval warship harassing a Filipino crew of a foreign-flagged, foreign-owned tanker.

In a statement, Locsin said that it is best for the Duterte administration not to meddle into the issue to protect the interest or livelihood of thousands of Filipino seafarers.

“It is a Greek vessel of Greek ownership flying a Liberian flag of convenience which just happens to have a skipper of Philippine nationality,” Locsin said. “We stick our noses in and 400,000 Filipino mariners get embroiled in a maritime issue about which our only interest is the safety of the parts of the crew who just happen to be Filipino and were not harmed.”

Locsin stressed that if the government meddles with the issue, the employment of at least 400,000 Filipino mariners will hang in the balance because of “the games an idiot native media likes to play.

“Now, that’s harming their livelihoods,” said Locsin.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo earlier drew the ire of maritime law expert Jay Batongbacal following comments he made in a press briefing in Thailand on Sunday, that there is no need for the Philippines to file any diplomatic protest as the ship is not a Philippine vessel and the incident should not be considered as an affront to the country’s sovereignty.

Batongbacal said in a social media post that he has already enough of the Malacañang official’s comment regarding the latest incident in the West Philippine Sea.

Panelo, meantime, said that he will he issue his own statement on the matter once Secretary Locsin’s statement has been published.