Defense chief says Philippine forces uphold UN law, not provoking China

At a Senate finance subcommittee hearing reviewing the Department of National Defense's 2027 budget, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. asserted that Philippine troops operating in the West Philippine Sea are acting to protect the country's rights under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, not to provoke hostilities. He dismissed statements by Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan, who warned that the Philippines would lose if it cut military communications, as a threat and a false narrative supporting the nine-dash line.

Teodoro highlighted the Philippines' objection to the ambassador's claim that Batanes falls under Chinese jurisdiction. The Department of Foreign Affairs has formally summoned Jing Quan, and the government will await further developments, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expected to address the issue publicly in due course.