No Duterte order to stop patrols in South China Sea - aide | ABS-CBN

ADVERTISEMENT

dpo-dps-seal
Welcome, Kapamilya! We use cookies to improve your browsing experience. Continuing to use this site means you agree to our use of cookies. Tell me more!

No Duterte order to stop patrols in South China Sea - aide

No Duterte order to stop patrols in South China Sea - aide

ABS-CBN News

Clipboard

China Coast Guard vessels patrol past a Chinese fishing vessel at the disputed Scarborough Shoal, April 5, 2017. Erik De Castro, Reuters

MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte did not order government troops to stop patrols in the disputed South China Sea, his special assistant, Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go, said Sunday.

Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano claimed Saturday that Duterte issued the halt directive, but that the military was not in favor of the order and and compromised with the Palace to limit its patrols to the strategic waterway to once a month.

“The president will not order that. First of all, what’s ours is ours. We will patrol in those areas,” Go said in a business gathering in Manila, as quoted by a statement from his office.

The military and Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque have also denied Alejano's allegation.

ADVERTISEMENT

Beijing has installed an array of airstrips, radar systems and naval facilities on a string of islands it has reclaimed in contested areas in the South China Sea since 2013.

Last May, China deployed anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missiles on the disputed Spratly Islands off the Philippine coast, CNBC reported, citing sources close to US intelligence.

A recent report also said the Chinese coast guard had bullied Filipino boatmen fishing at the Scarborough Shoal.

Manila has been taking "diplomatic actions" against China, including filing protests, over the latter's activities in the South China Sea, officials said last week.

A Hague-based tribunal in 2016 invalidated China's sweeping claims in the disputed waters, adding that both Manila and Beijing have traditional fishing rights at the Scarborough Shoal.

The Philippine government under the Duterte administration had downplayed the ruling as the President continued to pursue closer ties with China.

The 2 sides have been engaged in dialogue in hopes of peacefully resolving the dispute.

With a report from Agence France-Presse

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

It looks like you’re using an ad blocker

Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker on our website.

Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker on our website.