"The Philippines has never been an agent of escalation of tensions."
This was how President Marcos responded to the recent aggression of China in Bajo de Masinloc, where it deployed its Navy in blocking Philippine vessels within the country's waters.
He said, instead of contributing to the tensions in the West Philippine Sea, Manila will continue to perform its legitimate operations at sea.
"We are going to continue to perform our mission, we will never be part of an escalation in the situation in West Philippine Sea," Marcos said in an interview on the sidelines of the inauguration of the North Luzon Expressway Candaba 3rd Viaduct in Bulacan on Tuesday, Dec. 10.
"If we look at the evolution of the situation in the West Philippine Sea, the Philippines has never been an agent of escalation of tensions. So we will not do that," he stressed.
The National Maritime Council (NMC) disclosed last week that aside from China Coast Guard vessels, China also deployed its People's Liberation Army-Navy in blocking the Philippine Coast Guard's and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources' vessels during their legitimate operations in the Bajo de Masinloc.
What used to be just "on the background" has joined in interrupting the country's operations, NMC bared.
Marcos, however, is not keen on doing the same, saying "we are not at war" to deploy Navy warships in the country's waters.
"We are not at war, we don't need navy warships," he said.
"All we are doing is resupplying our fishermen, protecting our territorial rights. Again, it will be provocative and will be seen as an escalation—we don't do that. The Philippines does not escalate tensions. Quite the opposite, the Philippines always tried to bring down the level of tension," he stressed.