President Marcos condemned the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) assault of a Philippine Navy serviceman in Ayungin Shoal on Monday, July 20, Malacañang said Tuesday.

"Kinukondena po niya, kinukondena po ng Pangulo ang mga ganitong klaseng pangyayari (He is condemning it, the President is condemning this kind of incident)," Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a Palace briefing.

The President condemned the recent incident, emphasizing the government's policy to respond to such incidents through diplomatic means.

Castro also stressed that the incident was "unacceptable."

"So, hindi po rin ninanais ng Pangulo ang ganitong mga klaseng insidente na siyang nagbibigay ng polisiya na dapat tayo ay tumugon sa mga ganitong klaseng mga insidente through a diplomatic manner (So, the President does not want incidents like this to happen. That is why his policy is for us to respond to these kinds of incidents through diplomatic means)," Castro said.

"So, hindi po talaga katanggap-tanggap itong nangyayari sa pagitan po ng bansa natin at ng China (What is happening between our country and China is truly unacceptable)," Castro added.

The Palace spokesperson underscored that the Philippine Navy personnel were only performing their duties, and whatever narrative the other side makes is beyond the Philippine Government's control.

"Sa atin po, kung ano lang po ang mandato ng ating mga opisyal, ng ating mga Filipino personnel, iyon naman po ay naaayon sa ating karapatan at naayon sa ating batas. Kung ano po ang kanilang naratibo, ganyan po ang maaari nilang sabihin— hindi po natin ito saklaw (As far as we are concerned, our officials and Filipino personnel are simply carrying out the duties within their mandate, in accordance with our rights and our laws. Whatever narrative they choose to put forward is theirs to make—that is beyond our control)," Castro said.

"Pero ang pinaninindigan po natin, kung ano ang karapatan natin at kung ano ang dapat lamang gawin ng ating mga opisyal at mga Filipino personnel pagdating po diyan.  So, sinusuportahan po natin ang mga ginagawa ng ating mga Filipino officials (What we remain firm on is our rights and what our officials and Filipino personnel are duty-bound to do in these circumstances. That is why we support the actions of our Filipino officials)," Castro added.

Asked whether the President would consider changing his strategy on issues involving China, Castro said the matter would have to be reviewed, but stressed that the President would never resort to the use of force.

"Sa panahon po ngayon ay kailangan pong aralin din ng Pangulo pero hindi po nadadaan sa dahas ang anumang pakikipaglaban sa karapatan (At this time, the President needs to carefully study the situation. However, defending our rights should not be pursued through the use of force)," Castro said.

"Hindi pinag-uusapan dito ang laki ng iyong teritoryo, ang lakas ng iyong puwersa kung hindi pakikipaglaban sa katotohanan at kung ano ang iyong karapatan (This is not about the size of a country's territory or the strength of its military, but about standing up for the truth and asserting what is rightfully ours)," Castro added.

According to the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS), the incident happened at around 9:15 a.m. when China Coast Guard vessel "21560" launched a rigid hull inflatable boat that approached the BRP Sierra Madre at close range.

It disclosed that "during the incident, a Chinese crew member struck a Philippine serviceman on the head with a wooden baton, causing an injury that required immediate medical attention."

Meanwhile, Castro confirmed that the President is set to meet with Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Jing Quan on Tuesday afternoon.

While the agenda of the meeting was not disclosed, the meeting between the two officials comes after the incident at the Ayungin Shoal.