PH to study if filing protest vs China over jets in EEZ warranted
The Philippine government will still wait for reports from concerned agencies if the presence of fighter jets during the recent joint air patrol will warrant a filing of diplomatic protest from Manila.
Ma. Teresita Daza, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson, said the Philippines’ current stand is that it “respects freedom of navigation and overflight in line with UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea).”
“We will await the full and verified reports from the agencies concerned to see if the filing of protest is warranted,” Daza said.
On Monday, Nov. 25, the country’s military confirmed Chinese fighter jets “orbited” above the flight of a Philippine jet on a joint patrol with Australia in the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
The circling happened for about 15 minutes but no untoward incident came about, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. said.