After the removal of a floating barrier installed by Chinese vessels in Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough or Panatag Shoal) near Zambales, the Philippine government clarified that it was not stirring trouble in the South China Sea (SCS). 

National Task Force for West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said the national government was only upholding the country's interests in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and protecting the rights of Filipino fishermen when the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) cut the 300-meter-long floating barrier put up by Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) and Chinese militia vessels at the southeast portion of Bajo de Masinloc.

The barrier prevented Filipino fishermen from accessing the lagoon of the shoal, which has been their traditional fishing ground for centuries.

"They said that we are stirring trouble. Our reaction to that is, we are not. We are will within our rights in what we have done in removing that barrier," said Malaya, who is also an assistant director general at the National Security Council (NSC).

Malaya was reacting to a statement issued by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Sept. 26 in the immediate aftermath of the removal of the floating barrier in Bajo de Masinloc.

"We call on the Philippines not to make provocation or stir up trouble," he said.

However, Malaya said the national government was hoping that China would "move forward" and understand why the PCG removed the barrier in the disputed shoal.

Malaya further stated that the Philippine government cannot speculate on the possible retaliation by China.

"Moving forward, hopefully the situation would not escalate the tension and we hope China would understand that we are also doing this to protect the rights of our fishermen," he said.

"In the future, there may be future reaction [from] China and we will just address those as they come and go," he added.