Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada on Monday, March 10 rejected Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s claims that the Philippine government’s actions in the South China Sea are merely theatre staged.

Estrada said no amount of squid tactics can conceal the fact that China has been, and continuous to be, engaged in a pattern of illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive behavior at sea – and, most recently, even in the airspace of the Philippines.

“We cannot turn a blind eye on China’s escalating coercive tactics against our maritime scientists and personnel, as well as their illegal presence in our territorial waters,” Estrada said.

“They have repeatedly violated, and continue to violate, international and domestic laws, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitral Award,” he pointed out.

Wang earlier issued a statement describing the South China Sea issue as nothing but mere “shadow play” orchestrated by other countries.

Malacañang and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) have issued pronouncements disagreeing with Wang’s recent remarks saying that “China should recognize that the Philippines is an independent and sovereign state whose actions and decisions are driven entirely by national interest and the interests and well-being of the Filipino people.”

To which, Estrada said, he agrees, considering China’s hostile treatment and constant bullying in the West Philippine Sea.

“The statements made by the Chinese foreign minister are yet another blatant attempt to undermine our country’s legitimate concerns and distract the public from their persistent illegal incursions and provocations,” the chairman of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security said.

“We call on the international community to denounce this baseless assertion and support the Philippines in defending regional peace, stability, and the rule of law,” he said.

“Our sovereignty is not a performance, and our resolve is not an act,” Estrada reiterated.