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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Imee Marcos eyes talks with China amid 'alarming' swarming of Chinese militia vessels in Julian Felipe Reef

Imee Marcos eyes talks with China amid 'alarming' swarming of Chinese militia vessels in Julian Felipe Reef

Published Dec 4, 2023 09:34 am

Sen. Imee Marcos said on Monday, December 4 that she wishes to speak with her counterpart in China to discuss the swarming of Chinese maritime militia (CMM) vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) particularly in Juan Felipe Reef.

"Lumalala nang lumalala ang swarming na ginagawa sa WPS hindi maipagkaila parami gray zone tactics na sinasabi (The swarming that they're doing in WPS is getting worse, we can't deny that there are a lot of so-called gray zone tactics)," said Marcos, who chairs Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

"Hindi nakakatuwa itong mga pangyayari, parang hindi pa sapat ang giyera sa mundo, magpapasko na (These events are not good, it's like war on earth is not enough, it's almost Christmas)," she added.

In the meantime, Marcos said that while the national budget is still being worked on, the Philippine government has no one to rely on but itself.

According to the senator, what's important is for the country to have its own self-reliant defense posture which should be given the proper funding and support.

Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commandant, Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan said they initially spotted 111 CMM vessels in the area last November 13 while the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) conducted its monitoring and found out that the number further increased to 125 vessels.

In response to the "alarming" development, National Security Adviser (NSA) and National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) Chairman Eduardo Año directed the PCG to carry out a maritime patrol to challenge and document the illegal presence of the CMM in Julian Felipe Reef.

Gavan said he deployed patrol vessels BRP Sindangan and BRP Cabra near Julian Felipe Reef on December 2 to conduct a maritime patrol and challenge the presence of the militia vessels.

Related Tags

Senator Imee Marcos Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) West Philippine Sea (WPS)
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