The recent unprovoked strike by the United States against Venezuela constitutes a grave violation of international law, according to Senator Risa Hontiveros.

“I strongly condemn this act of aggression, the oil-backed interests behind it, and the new world order it portends,” Hontiveros said in a statement on Sunday, January 4.

Hontiveros made the remark a day after American forces seized Venezuala’s president Nicolas Maduro and his wife in Caracas and brought them to the US to face what President Donald Trump has accused them off: “narco-terrorism.”

The US leader has since said that the US will “run” Venezuela until a new government is installed.

Hontiveros, however, said she sees greater implications in international relations especially on nations—like the Philippines—that are at risk of invasion or attack by foreign powers.

“Not only has this action jeopardized the lives of Venezuelans, who have long endured the oppression of their own dictator; it has also placed other nations at risk of invasion and violence from foreign powers that may wish to abuse their might for their own interests,” she said.

“No country should unilaterally attack an independent state. No country should be allowed to ‘run’ a sovereign nation,” she stressed.

The senator said this principle must hold true for the United States and for every nation that still values a rules-based international order.

“I am concerned about the far-reaching consequences of this action for the entire world, particularly for the Philippines, whose territories and resources are increasingly vulnerable to China's expansive claims and ambitions,” she lamented.

“In these turbulent times, I urge all leaders to  resist a return to a world order ruled by brute force. We must collectively strive for peace and fair play,” she said.