Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 11) — While the government does not classify China’s latest aggression in disputed waters as an act of war, an inter-agency group crafted a new national strategy on the West Philippine Sea to reflect “some adjustments,” an official said Monday.
\”We have made some adjustments based on recent developments,\” National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said during a briefing of the the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea, without going into details.
Malaya said the group hope to present this to the president \”very soon.\”
\”Will there be adjustments in our movements? Yes, as soon as the government approves the national strategy because the president himself is concerned,\” he added.
The maritime dispute between the Philippines and China was front and center again after Chiunese vessels blasted water cannons on Filipino ships during a resupply mission over the weekend.
A total of 46 Chinese vessels tried to block Philippine ships. It is considered “the largest number of maritime forces” that local authorities have documented so far, according to Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela.
Malaya said China’s actions \”show a desire to escalate situations\” in the West Philippine Sea.
\”The whole world knows that the incidents in the past two days are a serious escalation on the part of China,\” he said.
