Malacañang said yesterday that the government will file a diplomatic protest against China if it is validated that two of their survey ships operated in the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone without permission.
Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo made the statement following reports that two Chinese survey ships were found operating in the eastern and northwestern side of the Philippines.
Panelo said as security measure, China should have sought permission from the government to field two of its survey ships within the EEZ.
He said there is a violation if China failed to get permission from the government to be in the EEZ. “If they don’t, ‘di may violation. Then we will file a diplomatic protest,” he added.
Ryan Martinson, an assistant professor at the US Naval War College, on Monday posted on his Twitter account the tracking of Chinese oceanographic survey ship “Zhanjian” operating just 80 nautical miles off the east coast of the Philippines.
Two days later, Martinson also posted the tracking of Chinese survey ship Dong Fang Hong 3 operating in the EEZ.
Panelo said the government still has to validate the reports. He, however, said that everything that poses as a threat to the country’s security is always a cause for concern.
“Well, it is always a concern of this government if the security of the State is threatened or endangered,” he said. “We do not know if these ships are a threat. First we have to validate whether that’s true or not,” he added.
Meanwhile, Malacañang said yesterday the government will not allow the development of three islands in the Philippines by China to push through if it will have security implications.
The Department of National Defense has raised concerns over security implications of a reported plan to develop the Fuga Island, Chiquita Island, and Grande Island by Chinese financiers.
Panelo said the government will study the island development agreement with China as Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana thinks the plan may raise security concerns.
If the DND would find that the plan will have negative implications on the country’s security, Panelo said the government will rescind the agreement with China.
“Hindi tayo papayag. Kung security threat, eh,” he said. “Of course we can rescind. ‘Yun namang agreement eh agreement to agree pa lang ‘yun,” he added. (Argyll Cyrus B. Geducos)