Manila reaffirms WPS rights amid Scarborough Shoal tensions

The Philippines will continue asserting its rights in the West Philippine Sea but will not instigate any armed conflict, Malacañang said on Thursday, August 14, following fresh incidents involving Chinese forces near Scarborough Shoal.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro stressed that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has been firm on maintaining the country’s position without escalating tensions.

"Muli, uulitin ko lamang ang sinabi ng Pangulo: tayo ay hindi aatras sa laban, pero hindi po tayo nagpo-provoke,” Castro said. “We are not raging any war against any country. Tayo ay dumidipensa lamang para sa ating karapatan.”

The statement comes after the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported the year’s first aerial harassment by China: a Chinese fighter jet intercepted a PCG patrol aircraft conducting a maritime surveillance flight over Scarborough Shoal on Wednesday.

Two days earlier, tensions at sea also flared when two Chinese vessels collided during a high-speed chase near the shoal. Video released by the PCG showed a Chinese Coast Guard ship ramming into a larger Chinese warship with a loud crash while pursuing the BRP Suluan, which was on a resupply mission for Filipino fishers in the area.

National Security Adviser Eduardo Año condemned the incidents, saying they highlight Beijing’s “intensifying actions” to intimidate the Philippines.

“We are on the right side. We have legal and historical basis,” Año said. “Whatever they do, we will not change our position. But we will not be the ones to start trouble.”

In addition, Castro brushed aside criticism from China’s state-run Global Times, which accused Manila of provoking Chinese vessels and warned of “targeted countermeasures.”

“That is their narrative,” she said. “There is an arbitral ruling that clearly states our rights in the West Philippine Sea, and it is well-documented.”

Scarborough Shoal, located just 240 kilometers from Luzon, lies within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone but has been under Chinese control since a tense 2012 standoff. China’s nearest major landmass, Hainan Island, is nearly 900 kilometers away.