Marcos on Chinese vessels in Ayungin Shoal: We have to be careful, not overreact

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. said Monday that the Philippine government should be cautious with its actions and not "overreact" to the reported presence of Chinese vessels in Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.

Marcos tadded that the government is "exerting all efforts" over the matter.  

“Of course, we’re exerting all efforts now but it’s the… we have to be very careful that we do not overreact, that we do not make mistakes that might be misinterpreted by anyone,” Marcos told reporters at a press conference in Tokyo, where he had attended the ASEAN-Japan summit. 

“Kailangan talaga maingat tayo dahil pag may nangyari ulit diyan… if we heightened the tensions, it won’t lead us to a good result. So we are being very circumspect in the actions that we will take,'' he added. 

The Armed Forces of the Philippines earlier denied that Chinese vessels in Ayungin Shoal were on "invasion mode," saying that their presence was a typical swarming.

Security analyst Ray Powell, director of monitoring team SeaLight at Stanford University's Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation, earlier called the China Coast Guard's (CCG) behavior an “invasion."

At least nine Chinese militia vessels and one CCG ship were spotted near the Ayungin Shoal, a resource-rich area within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. — BM, GMA Integrated News