President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday rejected suggestions that the Philippines has a special “arrangement” with China requiring Manila to seek Beijing’s permission for its activities in the West Philippine Sea, insisting that the country is merely following standard maritime procedures.

Marcos made the clarification amid renewed questions over the provisional understanding between Manila and Beijing governing rotation and resupply missions to the BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal.

“I hesitate to use the word arrangement because we're not going into any arrangement with everyone,” Marcos said during the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) Presidential Luncheon in Manila.

He said Philippine vessels follow standard procedures, such as issuing notices of their movements during resupply missions and patrols.

“There is no special arrangement that we somehow, the implication is that we have to ask for permission or that we have to give up some kind of, some of our rights. That's not the case at all,” Marcos said.

The President stressed that the procedure does not weaken the country's sovereign rights, territorial claims, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or the 2016 arbitral ruling.

“Nothing of that has been weakened in any way, shape, or form,” he said.

Marcos' remarks come days after retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio challenged the administration to disclose the provisional understanding, which was reached with China in July 2024 following a series of confrontations during resupply missions to Ayungin.

Carpio told DAILY TRIBUNE's Straight Talk that requiring prior notice, consultation or on-site verification before Philippine resupply missions would diminish the country's sovereign rights.

“They're not showing us this agreement. They said it's just a matter of a statement of principles. But they have to show us what the statement of principles are,” Carpio said.

Carpio urged the government to terminate the understanding, warning that China could eventually invoke Philippine acquiescence to argue that Manila had voluntarily waived rights recognized under the 2016 arbitral ruling. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs has defended the understanding, saying it does not require the Philippines to seek China's permission or allow inspections of Philippine vessels. The DFA said it has resulted in 15 incident-free resupply missions since July 2024. 

‘Reset’ with China

Marcos also explained his call for a “reset” in relations with Beijing, saying the objective is to bring down tensions when relations begin to escalate.

“If we are beginning to detect or to feel an increase in tensions or an escalation in tensions, then we have to once again go back and talk to our friends in China and say, look, this is not headed in the right direction,” Marcos said.

He said both sides should find ways to bring tensions to the “lowest level” possible and prevent mistakes or misunderstandings at sea.

The President stressed that de-escalation does not mean abandoning Philippine claims.

‘No attacks’ from PH

Marcos also ruled out allowing Philippine territory to be used to launch attacks against China when asked what Manila would do should Beijing invade Taiwan.

“No, there will be no attacks on anyone from the Philippines. The Philippines has no desire to be a belligerent nation in the region. We have no interest in that,” Marcos said.

“All we are concerned about is the defense of our territory and the maintenance of peace and stability in the region,” he added.

Marcos said allowing attacks to be launched from Philippine territory would be contrary to that policy.

“To allow an attack on anyone from the Philippines is contrary to that policy,” he said.