Lorenzana asks China: Stop incursion, remove 220 boats from Philippine sea

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Sunday appealed to China to pull out the 220 boats manned by Chinese militia from the West Philippine Sea, saying the deployment breaches the country's maritime rights and sovereignty.

"We call on the Chinese to stop this incursion and immediately recall these boats violating our maritime rights and encroaching into our sovereign territory. We are committed to uphold our sovereign rights over the WPS," said Lorenzana in a statement.

Lorenzana said the Chinese vessels were a clear "provocative action of militarizing" the West Philippines Sea.

"These territories are well within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and Continental Shelf where Filipinos have the sole right to resources under international law and the 2016 ruling," he pointed out.

Lorenzana's statement stemmed from the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea observation that on March 7, there were ships reportedly manned by Chinese maritime militia in the Juan Felipe Reef area.

According to the task force said this "circumstance is a concern" due to possible overfishing and destruction of the marine environment in the area.  

Also, the Defense chief said the Philippine Coast Guard, National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea, and Department of Foreign Affairs will undertake "appropriate action" to maintain peace and order in the West Philippine Sea.

For its part, the Philippine military said that it has dispatched its assets to validate the task force's report on the China-owned vessels moored in the WPS.

Reuters reported that China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday, and the news organization's calls to the Chinese embassy in Manila seeking comment went unanswered. —LBG/BM, GMA News