00:00If the government was initially saying that the Philippine Navy and China Coast Guard had a possible misunderstanding or accident in Ayungin Shoal last Monday,
00:10they said that this is not what they think now.
00:12President Bongbong Marcos also argued that he will not announce resupply missions,
00:17like the one he was first recommended.
00:19That is my guess.
00:24You know, this was probably a misunderstanding or an accident.
00:28This is the statement of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on Friday,
00:31when he was asked if the Philippine Navy had a possible armed attack in the Royal Remissions of BRP Sierra Madre on June 17.
00:41After the President visited the Philippine Navy troops in front of the China Coast Guard,
00:46this is what the government thinks about the incident in Ayungin Shoal.
00:49We have now come to the conclusion
00:54that it was not a misunderstanding or an accident.
00:59We are not downplaying the incident.
01:02It was an aggressive and illegal use of force.
01:06But what happened?
01:07This is not yet what we call an armed attack,
01:09a condition for the Philippines to be included in the Mutual Defense Treaty,
01:12and to defend it from the United States.
01:14This is the definition of an armed attack.
01:16It is the use of military force,
01:18an excessive use of force that could trigger collective self-defense.
01:23Even in the Article 51 of the UN Charter and in the MDT,
01:29it will not be included in the definition of an armed attack.
01:32The President also did not approve of the recommendation of the National Maritime Council
01:36after they made a statement this Friday that they will announce regular Royal Remissions,
01:40which is one of their ways to avoid tensions.
01:43In the past, the position of the Philippines in Ayungin Shoal
01:46is a part of the exclusive economic zone of the country
01:49and it should not be allowed to carry out any illegal activities there.
01:52The President has reiterated that we will not publish schedules of any robbery.
02:00Despite these statements,
02:02the Philippines does not pursue war
02:04and continues its relationship with China
02:06to resolve any tensions through diplomacy.
02:10But the Ministry of Foreign Affairs admitted
02:12that there has been no arrest of their Chinese counterpart
02:15since the June 17 incident.
02:17The peaceful means, yes.
02:19It does not disappear.
02:21We are also doing something on the diplomatic front.
02:23We have a mechanism that has been in existence for quite a number of years.
02:28In one statement,
02:29the China Foreign Ministry said that the Philippines should help China
02:33to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.
02:37The Philippines did not seem to stop their war
02:40and peace in the international community.
02:43For GMA Integrated News,
02:45Ivan Mejrina, for Tutok, 24 Hours.
