MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday warned of a “new phase of escalation” in the West Philippine Sea following China’s reported obstruction of the medical evacuation of a sick Filipino sailor at Ayungin Shoal.
Marcos said the incident was troubling because the mission involved retrieving a sick sailor for medical treatment.
“He was sick. Why would we be prevented from treating one of our own who is ill?” he said. “Even in war, the Red Cross is allowed through. We are not being allowed through to retrieve someone who is sick."
He said that the obstruction of the medical evacuation appeared to signal a shift in China’s actions in the disputed waters.
“It seems to indicate a new phase in escalation in the actions that are being undertaken in the West Philippine Sea,” Marcos said.
He said China had increasingly imposed demands for permission to conduct operations in the disputed waters, requirements that Manila does not recognize.
“In my own property, you’re going to tell me what I’m allowed to do and not to do within my own territory? No, we don’t follow that,” Marcos told reporters in Singapore.
“This is our sea. What’s required?” he added.
Marcos was referring to an incident last Thursday in which Chinese personnel reportedly blocked the medical evacuation of a sick Filipino Navy personnel from the BRP Sierra Madre, the grounded Philippine warship stationed at Ayungin Shoal.
He said the incident would be taken up in discussions with Beijing.
“I hadn’t really thought about how it would affect the Code of Conduct. But certainly, what happened is going to enter into the discussion,” Marcos said.
“Unfortunately, there really is an escalation. Before, there was no problem with that. But somehow now, there are more stated requirements for permission,” he added.
Marcos said Filipino personnel sometimes had to withdraw from operations when their safety was at risk.
He said the Philippines was receiving assistance from allies and other countries in the region through various forms of engagement, including arrangements that had not existed before.
“It’s a good thing we have many allies,” he said, noting that Filipino fishermen and Coast Guard personnel remained particularly exposed to risks in the West Philippine Sea.
Asked about the Philippines’ procedures for resupply missions, Marcos clarified that Manila did not seek permission from Beijing.
