MANILA— "This is my country and no foreign armed forces can tell me to stay out."

Sen. Ping Lacson said this Monday after the plane he was riding to Pag-asa Island in Kalayaan, Palawan received warnings from the Chinese Navy.

He said he "never [considered] backing out" despite receiving a challenge on radio by a Chinese Coast Guard vessel while their plane was approaching the airstrip in Pag-asa Island.

"Aside from the possibility of being fired at being remote, this is my country, not theirs. They had no right. That was my mindset," he said in a statement.

• 'Your actions are dangerous': Lacson plane warned by Chinese en route to Pag-asa

The presidential aspirant visited the Pag-asa Island on Saturday amid the country's tensions with China in the West Philippine Sea.

"You are approaching our military zone. Please stay away from the area and leave immediately. Your actions are unfriendly and dangerous. Your actions are dangerous," the Chinese Navy warned Lacson's plane.

“This is Chinese Navy. You are approaching our military alert zone. Leave immediately in order to avoid misjudgment,” the Chinese authorities later added.

After arriving at Pag-asa Island, Lacson said he also received a text message saying, "Welcome to China," which he said was "unusual."

During his visit, the senator led a flag-raising ceremony and planted 3 Philippine flags. He also had a dialogue with the civilian community and Filipino troops stationed in the island.

Lacson, who chairs the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, reiterated the need for "balance of power" in the West Philippine Sea to allow the Philippines to exercise its sovereign rights.

Lacson has also filed his certificate of candidacy for president in next year's polls.

The West Philippine Sea is the country's exclusive economic zone in the resource-rich and disputed South China Sea, 90 percent of which is being claimed by Beijing.

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