The House of Representatives on Monday, Oct. 24, "vehemently" condemned China's latest dangerous manuevers that caused two collisions with Philippine vessels in the West Philippine Sea.
"We, at the House of Representatives, vehemently condemn China's recent actions that led to the collission of its coast guard vessel 5203 with the private resupply vessel of the Armed of the Philippines," House Speaker Martin Romualdez said in a statement forwarded to reporters.
"Such actions not only jeopardized the lives of those onboard but also threatened regional peace and stability," he added.
Basahin> statement ni House Speaker @MartinRomualdez sa pinakahuling insidente sa West Philippine Sea @dzrhnews pic.twitter.com/PXgCQvsokD
— milky rigonan 💋 (@milkyrigonan) October 23, 2023
Romualdez said the lower house is imploring China to "adhere to international maritime laws and standards, act with restraint, guarantee the safety of all vessels in the West Philippine Sea."
The House Speaker stressed that such maritime incidents could not "be overlooked."
"The Philippine government will exhaust all diplomatic initiatives and mobilize the support of the international community to prevent these unlawful acts by its neighboring country — a country that is not just a trading partner but is also expected to be an ally," he ended.
The Department of Foreign Affairs had lodged a diplomatic protest and summoned Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian.
The Philippine government viewed China's latest aggression "as a blatant violation of international law", Department of Secretary (DND) Secretary Gilbert 'Gibo' Teodoro said.
Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Palawan had been directed to “conduct a maritime incident investigation immediately as mandated by international maritime laws", according to PCG Admiral Ronnie Gavan.
