The Department of National Defense (DND) views the June 17 incident in the West Philippine Sea as 'an aggressive and illegal use of force'.
"We see the latest incident in Ayungin not as a misunderstanding or an accident," DND Sec. Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said on Monday, June 24, during a press briefing in the Malacanang
"It is a deliberate act of the Chinese officialdom to prevent us from completing our mission," Teodoro stressed.
Last July 17, the Chinese Coast Guard rammed a Philippine ship bringing supplies to BRP Sierra Madre in the Ayungin Shoal, a underwater reef in the West Philippine Sea.
Chinese troops waved bladed weapons and seized several equipments, including rifles, from the Filipino troops.
A Filipino soldier lost his finger during the incident.
During a news conference on Friday, June 21, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin downplayed the incident 'a misunderstanding or accident'
Teodoro, meanwhile, assured that the Philippines will 'continue to find peaceful solutions' on the issue regarding the West Philippine Sea.
