The Philippines on Tuesday insisted its right to patrol the West Philippine Sea, which includes he vicinity of Scarborough Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc, after China decried the latter of 'trespassing.'
In a statement, National Security Adviser Eduardo A&ntilde;o called out the Chinese government for "overhyping and creating unecessary tension" between the two countries.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Under international law, the Philippines has every right to patrol the length and breadth of the West Philippine Sea which necessarily includes Bajo de Masinloc which is well within the country&rsquo;s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ),&rdquo; A&ntilde;o said.&nbsp;
&ldquo;China is again over hyping this incident and creating unnecessary tensions between our two nations,&rdquo; he added.
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His remark comes after China's military claimed that a Philippine boat "illegally entered" waters near Scarborough Shoal without authorization. They then urged the country "to immediately stop its infringement and provocation to avoid further escalation."
However, in contrary to the accusation, A&ntilde;o said the Philippine vessel PS39 completed its routine patrol operations "without any untoward incident."
"It did not illegally enter any space under Chinese sovereignty because Bajo de Masinloc is part of the PH archipelago and EEZ. Chinese vessels, as usual, conducted shadowing on the movement of PS39," he said.
The official then urged China to act responsibly, and respect the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and adhere to the 2016 Arbitral Ruling.&nbsp;
"Following the strong guidance of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., we will protect our territory and sovereign rights at all cost," A&ntilde;o said.&nbsp;
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PH insists rights to patrol in WPS amid China's trespassing claims