MANILA, Philippines — A total of 97 note verbales or diplomatic protests, have so far been filed by the Philippines against China in a little over a year since President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. assumed office, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.
In a message to reporters on Thursday, DFA spokesperson Teresita Daza said 67 of the 195 note verbales the Philippines lodged versus China in 2022 were under the Marcos administration.
A total of 30 note verbales have been so far this year, Daza added.
“The 30 [note verbales] refer to protests against the illegal presence and actions of Chinese vessels in our waters.”
She noted that the latest note verabale the Philippines filed against China was on Tuesday, July 4.
Daza, however, clarified, that this is not in relation to the dangerous maneuvers of China Coast Guard ships against Philippine Coast Guard vessels accompanying the Philippine Navy for a June 30 resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal).
The DFA official has yet to respond to queries about the specific incident that prompted the July 4 note verbale.
According to Daza, the Philippines has filed at least 485 note verbales against China from 2016 to July 5, 2023.
China claims nearly the entire South China Sea through a “nine-dash line” on its maps that covers even waters in the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia.
The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration, however, rejected China’s sweeping claims in the contested waterway.