VP Binay: PHL will defend territory 'up to the last blood'  

"We are ready to die up to the last blood." Vice President Jejomar Binay issued this feisty message on Friday when asked about the Philippines' ongoing territorial dispute with China.

Binay told reporters that China's latest actions in the South China Sea (the disputed parts of which Manila refers to as the West Philippine Sea) were "enough for being pushed too far."

"I suppose, they [Chinese forces] will avoid, by all means, a confrontation. Sabihin natin, we never wanted to be baited, to resort to force. The fact na dumaan tayo doon sa lugar, nakapunta tayo, we insisted on our sovereignty," the vice president said.

Binay was referring to an incident off Ayungin Shoal last March 29, when Chinese coastguard vessel reportedly blocked a Philippine ship bringing supplies to soldiers stationed in the disputed territory. The Philippine supply ship managed to evade the Chinese blockade.

'No pushover'

A day after the incident,  the Philippine government submitted a pleading called a "memorial" to the Netherlands-based Permanent Court of Arbitration, containing voluminous documents asserting Manila's claims to the West Philippine Sea. China has rejected arbitration proceedings.

The Philippines claims that the West Philippine Sea is part of its exclusive economic zone under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). 

China, meanwhile, is asserting its historical claim over the disputed areas through the so-called "nine-dash line," which almost covers the entire South China Sea.  

The vice president further said that the latest incident off Ayungin Shoal showed that the Philippines will not easily back down on its territorial claim.

"At least, we have sent the message [to China] na 'hindi kami pushover,'" he said.

He however said that the Philippines "will always resort to peaceful means" in resolving the dispute.

On Friday morning, Binay hosted a meeting with six soldiers who were on duty during the latest Ayungin Shoal incident.

Last Wednesday, President Benigno Aquino III also cited the sacrifices of these soldiers, and pledged that the country will fight for what is right in its territorial row with China. — Andreo Calonzo /LBG, GMA News