“Not a single infraction of our territory has been left unanswered by a diplomatic protest.”
This was the assurance given by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary to the House of Representatives (HoR) when asked about what the agency has done to assert the importance of the West Philippine Sea arbitral ruling.
“I’ve always asserted what’s ours,” Locsin told House Committee on Appropriations during the agency’s budget deliberations.
As of Aug. 16, 2021, Locsin said 158 diplomatic notes have been sent to China on issues of transgression or incursions in the Philippines’ territory in the WPS.
Out of the 158, 143 were issued under Locsin’s terms.
Locsin said China has responded in 124 diplomatic notes sent by the Philippines.
“I protest. They answer. It's a free world, that’s their prerogative, but we never yield,” Locsin said.