Navy to decide ‘unfriendly manner’ of warding off intruder vessels —Defense chief

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said he was leaving it up to the Philippine Navy to carry out President  Rodrigo Duterte's order to drive away foreign vessels intruding the Philippine waters without permission —whether in a friendly or unfriendly manner.

“I am still trying to figure out what unfriendly manner we can do but that is a very good development because now we have some authority to enforce our laws within our territorial waters,” Lorenzana said.

Lorenzana also said he would let the Philippine Navy to decide what are the “unfriendly manner” that will be taken once the foreign vessels refuse to comply.

“There are so many things that we can do to be unfriendly... that’s cutting their bow or escorting them. I’m going to defer to the Navy what are unfriendly,” he added.

On Tuesday, Duterte through presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo served notice that he wants passing foreign vessels to seek permission first, adding non-compliance may force the Philippine government to act in an "unfriendly manner."

"Either we get a compliance in a friendly manner or we enforce it in an unfriendly manner," Panelo said.

Lorenzana said the President's words have emboldened them to enforce the Constitution and other relevant laws protecting Philippine territory.

The chief executive’s order that foreign vessels need to seek permission first if they intend to sail through the Philippine waters came after the repeated passage of Chinese warships in the country’s territorial waters.

The military recorded that Chinese warships have passed in Sibutu Strait at least thrice this August.

Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana, commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Mindanao Command, said last week that two Chinese warships were spotted in Sibutu Strait in July while three were monitored in August.

Previously,  Lorenzana said Chinese warships had passed through Sibutu Strait four times since February.

Sobejana described the Chinese vessels as armed and their passage through the strait not innocent.

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) allows innocent passage of ships through the territorial sea of a coastal state provided that it will be “continuous and expeditious.”

Both the Philippines and China are signatories to the UNCLOS.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro “Teddyboy” Locsin Jr. ordered the filing of diplomatic protest over the passage of ships. —LDF, GMA News