PH preparing protest over Chinese harassment in Scarborough – DFA's Lazaro

Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro on Tuesday said Manila "is in the process" of lodging a diplomatic protest against China after its ships made dangerous maneuvers against Philippine government vessels off Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.

Last Monday's incident, where China fired a powerful water cannon to drive away Philippine Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries vessels from the shoal, sparked a fresh diplomatic row between the two Asian neighbors embroiled in long-running territorial disputes in the contested waters.   

"We will be in the process of doing so," Lazaro told reporters in a chance interview at the sidelines of a ceremonial exchange of notes formalizing a defense agreement between the Philippines and Japan.

Lazaro added that the Chinese ambassador to Manila has yet to be summoned by her department as she stressed that the Philippines' position has been clearly outlined in the statement it issued Tuesday.

The DFA said it was "seriously concerned" about China's "dangerous" maneuvers against Philippine ships, which also resulted to a collision between two Chinese vessels.

Manila decried China's use of force against the Philippine vessels near the shoal, locally known as Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag, a U-shaped rocky outcrop teeming with marine resources in the West Philippine Sea 124 nautical miles off Palawan. The shoal, according to the DFA, is "a longstanding and integral part of Philippine territory."

China's actions, the DFA said, "posed a grave danger to Philippine personnel and vessels."

"We are of the view that this is a situation whereby we have to be more careful, that we still go back to the process of whereby diplomatic dialogue and discussions will be best for the situation," she said.

The shoal came under Chinese control after a 2012 standoff with the Philippines, triggering an arbitration complaint by Manila. An international tribunal in The Hague Netherlands ruled in 2016 that Beijing violated the rights of Filipinos, who were blocked by Chinese Coast Guard from fishing in the disputed shoal off northwestern Philippines. 

Lazaro, meanwhile, reiterated her department's call for China and other nations to comply with international maritime conventions to ensure safety of all vessels and personnel onboard. — VDV, GMA Integrated News