Philippines’ Marcos Jnr rejects call to send warships to South China Sea: ‘we’re not at war’

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has rejected calls to dispatch warships to the disputed waters of the South China Sea in response to Beijing’s latest tactics, a move observers say reflects that Manila is adamant about maintaining its rules-based approach.

Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said on Saturday that Marcos Jnr could order the deployment of warships as a “policy option” to respond to China’s use of its own navy in the contested waterway, but the decision lay solely with the president.

On Tuesday, Marcos Jnr told reporters he had turned down the idea. “We will never be part of an escalation in the situation in [the] West Philippine Sea,” he said, referring to Manila’s term for the parts of the South China Sea that lie within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

“If we look at the evolution of the situation in the West Philippine Sea, the Philippines has never been an agent of escalation of tensions.”

However, Marcos Jnr stressed the Philippines would continue its resupply missions in the region and stand firm in protecting its territorial rights.