Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. affirmed that the AFP will rigorously uphold the rules of engagement when addressing China’s escalating aggression in the West Philippine Sea.

“We have a very clear guidance to our troops, particularly those who are in the West Philippine Sea and those who are manning the BRP Sierra Madre. Our rules of engagement are very clear and the guidance of our President to our troops is not to escalate the situation on the ground or the seas, so to speak,” Brawner said in a press conference shortly after the AFP Command Conference on Thursday.

Brawner touted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s lauding of the AFP’s reaction during the last rotational and re-provisional (RORE) operation to Ayungin Shoal.

“What you’re doing is really difficult because while you’re defending our country, you’re also practicing restraint,” Brawner quoted the President as saying.

“Our sailors are restraining themselves. Even if they want to fight all the way, they can’t do it, so that is the situation on the ground,” Brawner said.

He stressed the AFP will do its best to prevent any miscommunication within the government.

“We are going to make sure that, within the agencies concerned, we are going to reach out to them and give them the information that would allow us to work in unison, so that is what we will do,” he said.

Asked to comment on criticism directed at the President regarding the definition of an armed attack, Brawner responded: “Well, that’s what China is doing, what we call gray zone tactics. They operate below the threshold of war or conflict, existing in what they term the gray zone.”

“But we have called it a new name now. We don’t call it a gray zone anymore because their actions are still being justified. So we call it ICAD — these are Illegal, Coercive, Aggressive, and Deceptive actions by China,” he said.

Brawner emphasized the AFP is sure of its counteractions against China’s gray zone tactics.

“Again, everything has to be crystal clear, especially to us who are operating on the ground, on the seas. There should be no gray areas. It should be crystal clear,” he said.

In a related development, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said the Philippines and China are making progress on their maritime differences in the West Philippine Sea, particularly at Ayungin Shoal.

In an ambush interview on Thursday, Manalo confirmed that both sides are working to resolve the maritime conflict following the convening of the Philippine-China Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) on the South China Sea in Manila.

“We are moving forward and yesterday there was good progress, but of course there are still many issues,” Manalo said, when asked if the two countries were back to the table to peacefully resolve the issue.

“Well, many of the issues were discussed. And as I’ve said, we made progress and I think more talks will still be conducted,” he added.

In a separate interview, DFA Undersecretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro affirmed that Manila and Beijing are working to resolve the issue of Ayungin Shoal.

“It is still a work in progress,” Lazaro said, when asked if the Philippines and China were negotiating a new agreement on the shoal.

Lazaro represented the Philippines at the 9th BCM dialogue which was attended by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong.

The 9th BCM was held amid the increasing tension in the West Philippine Sea, particularly after the confrontation last month between the Philippine and China Coast Guards at Ayungin Shoal where a Filipino sailor lost a thumb.

China claims the vast South China Sea, including Ayungin Shoal, which is 105 nautical miles west of Palawan and is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, as decreed by the Permanent Court of Arbitration which ruled against China in 2016, a landmark decision that Beijing continues to reject.