President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said the presence of Chinese navy vessels in the area of Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal in West Philippine Sea was "worrisome."
Speaking to reporters before he depart to Australia, the President maintained that the government will continue to defend the country's maritime territory and protect its Filipino fishermen.
"It’s worrisome because there are two elements to that: One is that the--- dati Coast Guard lang ng China ang gumagalaw doon sa area natin. Ngayon, may Navy na sumama pa mga fishing boat," Marcos stated.
"So, nagbabago ang sitwasyon. But we just watch, of course, what everybody is doing, but really for us, patuloy pa rin natin, we just defend our maritime territory. We continue to support all of our fishermen, fisherfolks who make their living from these fishing grounds at patuloy naman nating tutulungan sila," he continued.
In its recent report, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said at least 3 People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy warships some 20 nautical miles away from Bajo de Masinloc.
Aside from this, the Philippine Navy also noted an increase in the interference on the electronic communication capabilities, cyber interference, and jamming of its vessels in the region.
