China’s harassment incidents of Philippine patrol aircraft in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) are “a cause of concern,” Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said on Friday.
“This is a cause of concern because it is as if China is practicing to have an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) although there has been no formal declaration,” he said in a press briefing at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
China declared an ADIZ in a huge portion of East China Sea in 2013 at a time tensions were rising with Japan over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. Some parts of the East China Sea are also claimed by Japan.
At a Senate hearing on Thursday, Western Command chief Vice Adm. Alexander Lopez said China had challenged Philippine military at least six times in the last three months to leave areas around the West Philippine Sea.
This happened while the Armed Forces of the Philippines was conducting routine maritime patrols, where air force aircraft were challenged over radio.
The Philippine planes ignored the warnings.
“Our directive is to continue our job. We should not be threatened with these warnings,” Gazmin said.
“This is part of our effort to monitor. We continue to move around and see their action and have this reported to the proper agency for its proper action,” he added.
China claims most parts of the resource-rich West Philippine Sea. Recent satellite images released by the Center for Strategic and International Studies showed China had been making significant progress in its reclamation activities there, including in areas claimed by the Philippines.
The Philippines has nine detachments in the Kalayaan Island Group (Spratly).