Malacañang on Thursday said the Philippines is not provoking any country in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) despite heightened tensions following the collision of two Chinese vessels in the area on Monday.
“Whatever happens here, as the President said, the administration and the government are not provoking anything. We are only defending and continuing to protect and fight for our territory and sovereign rights,” Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a press briefing.
Days after the incident, Philippine maritime domain awareness operations detected United States naval ships in the area, as well as a Chinese fighter jet that intercepted a Philippine aircraft.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday it was “aware” of the US Navy’s freedom of navigation operations, which fall within the scope of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and guarantees certain rights and freedoms of transit.
The Philippine Coast Guard identified the US ships as the USS Higgins and the USS Cincinnati which were about 102 nautical miles from Zambales.
Castro echoed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that the Philippines will not back down if pushed to the limit.
This comes as China accused the Philippines of fomenting territorial tensions and pursuing its political self-interest.
A Chinese maritime expert warned that if the Philippines “persists in its provocation, it will surely inevitably face more targeted countermeasures from China.”
Castro said this was the narrative Beijing wanted to project. “We are not waging any war against any country. We are only defending our rights,” she said.
The Palace official added that the Philippines’ territorial claims are backed by the 2016 arbitral ruling and UNCLOS.
“It contains what our rights are in the West Philippine Sea, and that is documented. So again, the President and the administration will not back down from the fight because the President believes that every Filipino is brave,” she said.