DFA to take diplomatic action on Chinese planes’ landing on Philippine reef

April 18, 2018

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said on Wednesday the government will take diplomatic action, including a possible filing of diplomatic protest, if proven two Chinese military transport planes landed in the Philippine territory in the South China Sea.

"We're taking the diplomatic action on it," the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) chief said in a forum with the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines in Manila.

He said the DFA would make sure that the Philippine claims are on record.

"And we'll make sure that all the other claimants know the Philippine position, which is to totally rollback," Cayetano said, explaining  "rollback" means, "we return the features to its natural state."

He admitted  that returning to old features was an "ideal" one, but not "practical."

The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that two Chinese military transport planes were photographed on Panganiban Reef, an area being claimed by the Philippines also as it is within the country's exclusive economic zone.

Cayetano said his office has yet to receive confirmation from the Department of National Defense. .

Asked if filing diplomatic protest is being considered, he said, "Yes, it may include that. So it depends where and how."

In the same forum, Cayetano said the government would not lift the moratorium on the exploration in the disputed South China Sea.

"So we are not lifting the moratorium and we are in close coordination with the DOE (Department of Energy). We also don't want China to lift their de facto moratorium until we have a framework that is acceptable to two countries," he said.

During President Rodrigo Duterte's recent trip to China, his counterpart Chinese President Xi Jinping, brought up the issue on possible exploration in the disputed waters.

But no concrete agreement was reached during the meeting. Celerina Monte/DMS