The Philippines is "deeply disturbed" over the "unprofessional and reckless" actions of a Chinese Navy aircraft on a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) aircraft over Bajo de Masinloc, the National Maritime Council (NMC) said.
With this, the NMC said, the Philippines "will issue a formal diplomatic protest on this grave incident."
In a statement, the council said China's PLA-Navy Harbin Z-9 helicopter "flew and hovered" as close as three meters above the BFAR aircraft which was conducting routine maritime domain awareness flight.
"The Philippine Government is deeply disturbed by the unprofessional and reckless flight maneuvers of a PLA-Navy Harbin Z-9 helicopter with tail number 68 that flew and hovered as close as three meters above a BFAR Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX aircraft conducting a routine maritime domain awareness flight over Bajo de Masinloc on 18 February 2025," NMC stated.
The council further told China that their aircraft's "blatantly hazardous action" endangered the safety of the pilots and passengers onboard.
"It demonstrated a lack of regard for internationally-accepted norms on good airmanship and flight safety," NMC stressed.
It has once again urged China to respect international law and refrain from actions that undermine regional peace and stability as the NMC emphasized that the Philippines has undeniable sovereignty and jurisdiction over Bajo de Masinloc.
The NMC also said the incident will not stop the Philippines from conducting routine maritime operations.
"China's illegal, coercive and aggressive behavior will not deter the Philippines from continuing the conduct of its routine maritime operations in accordance with its sovereignty over the shoal, and will not waver in its duty to safeguard its maritime interests over the shoal, in accordance with Republic Act 12064 or the Philippine Maritime Zones Act and international law, particularly UNCLOS and the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award," NMC said.
"The Philippines is committed to the rule of law and will always uphold international law. We urge China to respect international law, engage in responsible state behavior, pursue peaceful settlement of disputes, and refrain from actions that undermine regional peace and stability," it added.