The Philippines will push for a non-military approach to address the tension surrounding Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea as ordered by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., an official of the National Security Council said Wednesday.

In a television interview, NSC Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya, spokesperson for the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea chaired by Security Adviser Eduardo Año, said the Chinese maritime militia has been acting in concert with the Chinese Coast Guard, as observed by the Philippine Coast Guard during the recent resupply missions to Ayungin Shoal.

"It was no longer in a support capacity; they were actively blocking our ships. We consider them now as part of the Chinese Coast Guard, which is under the Chinese military commission. So it's really part of the apparatus of the Communist Party of China," Malaya said.

He explained that the CMM is part of China's military infrastructure despite the international concept of the Coast Guard being civilian in nature.

"Because in all countries in the world, the Coast Guard, though uniformed, is part of the civilian service," he said.

"But China has a different system; as we all know, they have a different political system. They are technically an authoritarian state run by the ruling Communist Party of China, and they have placed their coast guard and the CMM under the Chinese Military Commission, so they are technically part of the military infrastructure," he added.

When asked if the Philippines would respond with the Philippine Navy, instead of the Philippine Coast Guard to counter the CMM, Malaya said: "That is a decision that has to be made by higher authorities because we want to keep the tension low in the WPS, and there is an instruction from the President to civilianize the approach to Ayungin Shoal. So it's going to be Coast Guard against Coast Guard, and the Navy is only in support."

In all of the resupply missions, Malaya said there are always two Navy ships, 20 to 30 nautical miles away, watching over the Philippine supply vessels "just in case something happens."

No comment on coral damage

Meanwhile, Malaya said China has yet to officially deny the reported coral harvesting in the WPS.

"Insofar as the Philippine government is concerned, there is no, up to this day, official denial from the Chinese government that they are not responsible for the degradation at both shoals," he said.