Marcos asks China to give early warning on falling rocket debris over Phl

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has called on China to give the Philippines early warning when rocket debris from Chinese space launches may fall within Philippine territory.

While China did not violate any international protocols during the recent launch of its Long March 12 rocket — which resulted in suspected debris falling near Palawan on 4 August — Marcos said advance notice would allow Philippine authorities to prepare and ensure public safety.

“This is not the first time this has happened. And if you look at the incidents, they did not commit any violations. There have been no casualties,” Marcos said.

“We just wish that perhaps they could warn us a little earlier so that we know the path of the rocket, where the path is, and kung magbibitaw sila ng stages kung saan babagsak,” he added.

Marcos emphasized that the Philippines has no interest in interfering with China’s rocket program and has even offered to retrieve any debris and return it to Beijing.

“I remember during my trip to Beijing, I told President Xi, ‘We have no interest in your rockets. Just tell us where they will land, we’ll collect the debris and return it to you,” Marcos recalled.

Reiterating the same offer on Friday, the President said: “You don’t need to take it back by force. What would we even do with it? Just tell us where it’s going to fall — if anything drops, we’ll get it from the sea and hand it back. No problem.”

Despite the potential danger posed by falling debris, Marcos acknowledged that no damage or injuries have been reported so far.

“The good side to all of this, no casualties, no one was hit, no real problems occurred,” he added.

China continues its rapid expansion in space exploration and satellite launches.tellite launches.