MANILA (UPDATED) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday condemned the aggression by China's People's Liberation Army - Air Force (PLAAF) this week in the West Philippine Sea, which the Philippine military said "endangered" the lives of its personnel.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines also condemned the incident, in which the PLAAF used flares in the path of a Philippine Air Force plane on patrol over Bajo de Masinloc, a traditional fishing ground off Zambales.

"The President strongly condemns the air incident in Bajo de Masinloc earlier this week, and stands by our brave men and women of the AFP, especially the Philippine Air Force (PAF)," the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said in a release.

READ: AFP says Chinese planes dropped flares in path of PAF patrol over Bajo de Masinloc

The PCO said the actions of the PLAAF aircraft "were unjustified, illegal and reckless," pointing out that the actions were done as the PAF aircraft was conducting a routine maritime security operation in Philippine sovereign airspace.

"We have hardly started to calm the waters, and it is already worrying that there could be instability in our airspace," the PCO said.

Last month, the Philippines and China agreed on an "arrangement" for resupplying Filipino troops stationed on Ayungin Shoal, another flashpoint in the two nations' maritime feud, after a series of escalating confrontations in the disputed waters.

The presidential office also urged Beijing to "demonstrate that it is fully capable of responsible action, both in the seas and in the skies."

The BRP Sierra Madre on Ayungin Shoal has been a focus of clashes between Chinese and Philippine ships in recent months as Beijing steps up efforts to push its claims to almost the entire South China Sea. 

"The Philippines will always remain committed to proper diplomacy and peaceful means of resolving disputes," the PCO also said.

Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, brushing off rival claims of several Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines, and an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

READ: China’s research vessel spotted in oil-rich Recto Bank

READ: PH doesn't need China approval for access to Ayungin Shoal, says Año

Despite last week's incident, the Philippines said Sunday it will continue to patrol its Exclusive Economic Zone, defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as waters beyond a coastal nation's territorial seas over which it has sovereign rights to explore and exploit natural resources.

"The Armed Forces of the Philippines reaffirm our determination to conduct regular surveillance operations in line with international law," military spokesperson Francel Padilla said in an interview over local radio station DZBB.

"We will safeguard our country's sovereignty and security over our maritime domain," she added.

In a separate statement, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada also condemned the "reckless and provocative actions" of the People's Liberation Army Air Force, calling them "unacceptable."

"They must be met with firm and decisive condemnation from the international community," said Estrada. "We urge the Chinese government to immediately stop this clear act of aggression and adhere to international law. This recent incident is a blatant violation of international aviation safety standards and the rights of all nations to carry out lawful maritime operations."

—with Agence France-Presse

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