Marcos Condemns China Actions in West PH Sea, Cites Assault on Filipino Troops

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Tuesday condemned the alleged assault by the China Coast Guard on Filipino troops in the West Philippine Sea. This developed as Malacañang expressed the Marcos administration's support for the critical statements of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of National Defense (DND), and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) regarding the incident. "Alam po natin kung ano na ang naging statement ng Secretary ng DND, pati ang pamunuan ng AFP at ito ay kanilang kinukundina. Sinabi po na hindi tayo pasisil. At pati ang DFA ay nagbigay na rin po ng pahayag. Kinukondena po niya, kinukondena po ng Pangulo ang mga ganitong klaseng pangyayari," said Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro. (We know the statements issued by the DND Secretary and the AFP leadership, and they have condemned the incident. They said we will not be intimidated. The DFA has also issued a statement. The President condemns these kinds of acts.) Castro then read the DFA's statement, which said: "The DFA is in coordination with the AFP regarding the details of the incident. Any act of violence against Filipino personnel is unacceptable and will merit the appropriate diplomatic action. The DFA is committed to upholding the safety and well-being of Filipino personnel in BRP Sierra Madre who are lawfully performing their duties," Castro said. She said the government would continue to uphold the country's rights in the West Philippine Sea despite China's aggresive acts in the contested waters. "Kung ano ang kanilang naratibo, ganyan po ang kanilang maaaring sabihin. Hindi po natin ito saklaw. 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. So sinusuportahan po natin ang mga ginagawa ng ating mga Filipino officials," Castro said. (Whatever their narrative is, that is for them to say. That is beyond our control. What we stand by are our rights and what our officials and Filipino personnel are duty-bound to do. We support the actions of our Filipino officials.) Asked whether Marcos was considering stronger action against China, Castro said disputes should not be resolved through violence. "Hindi po nadadaan sa dahas ang anumang pakikipaglaban sa karapatan. Hindi pinag-uusapan dito ang laki ng iyong teritoryo, ang lakas ng iyong pwersa. Kung pakikipaglaban sa katotohanan at kung ano ang iyong karapatan," Castro said. (The fight for one's rights should not be pursued through violence. This is not about the size of one's territory or the strength of one’s forces. It is about standing for the truth and asserting one's rights.) The Palace remarks came after Manila and relevant agencies condemned what they described as an assault by Chinese Coast Guard personnel against Filipino troops assigned to the BRP Sierra Madre, with the DFA saying any act of violence against Filipino personnel is "unacceptable" and would warrant appropriate diplomatic action. Last Monday, China Coast Guard personnel clubbed a Filipino sailor as they approached the Philippines' grounded World War II-era warship BRP Sierra Madre. It developed just days after Manila filed a diplomatic protest over an alleged "racist" video posted by Chinese state media wherein the Philippines was portrayed as an AI-generated cartoon monkey manipulated by apparent foreign hands. — VDV, GMA News