President Marcos slams China air force

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos yesterday condemned what he described as unjustified, illegal and reckless actions of China’s aircraft over Panatag Shoal, as he expressed concern over possible instability in Philippine airspace.

Last Thursday, two aircraft of China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force executed a “dangerous maneuver” and dropped flares in the path of a Philippine Air Force (PAF) NC-212i aircraft conducting a routine maritime patrol over the shoal, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

The incident, which happened at about 9 a.m., threatened the Filipino pilots and crew, interfered with lawful flight operations in airspace within Philippine sovereignty and jurisdiction, and contravened international law and regulations governing aviation safety, AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said in a statement last Saturday.

The pilots and crew of the NC-212i safely returned to Clark Air Base an hour after the incident.

“The President strongly condemns the air incident in Bajo de Masinloc (Panatag Shoal) earlier this week, and stands by our brave men and women of the AFP, especially the Philippine Air Force,” the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said in a statement.

Marcos said the actions of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force aircraft were “unjustified, illegal and reckless, especially as the PAF aircraft was undertaking a routine maritime security operation in Philippine sovereign airspace.”

“We have hardly started to calm the waters, and it is already worrying that there could be instability in our airspace,” the PCO statement quoted the President as saying.

The Philippines, Marcos said, would remain committed to proper diplomacy and peaceful means of resolving disputes.

“However, we strongly urge China to demonstrate that it is fully capable of responsible action, both in the seas and in the skies,” he added.

Panatag Shoal is located 124 nautical miles from the nearest point in Zambales province. While it is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), the shoal has been under China’s control since 2012.

China’s occupation in the shoal started when Chinese surveillance ships protected Chinese poachers from the