Illustration by Rene Elevera
The defense secretary had firsthand experience of Chinese muscle-flexing in the West Philippine Sea when the Chinese Navy tried to shoo away his plane during his visit on Friday.
Lorenzana led the top brass of the Philippine military, local officials and some 40 journalists in a high-profile visit to Pag-asa Island, located in the Kalayaan municipality in Palawan.
“The reason we are here is to check the area because our President wants a lot done here,” Lorenzana said of the visit.
President Rodrigo Duterte, while pursuing friendly relations with China, recently told the military to assert the country’s sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea.
While flying over the area, the C-130 transport plane carrying Lorenzana’s party was challenged by the Chinese Navy, who asked them to leave to avoid a ‘miscalculation.’
The defense chief stood his ground,
“We also replied that we are flying over our territory so we just answered each other. There was no untoward incident.”