By John Clifford Lintao
THE military may not be joining other countries in conducting naval exercises in the South China Sea but that does not mean the Philippine government is abandoning territorial claims in the disputed waters, the new chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines said.
In a television interview, AFP chief Lieutenant General Gilbert Gapay said President Rodrigo Duterte’s order prohibiting Philippine forces to join naval drills in the SCS is a “political decision and doesn’t mean we’re backing down in our claim and in protecting our sovereignty in the area,” Gapay said.
He said that they are sustaining patrol at the disputed area. “On the contrary, we didn’t receive any orders to stop patrolling the area both naval and air patrols tuloy tuloy ‘yan.”
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenza on Monday said Duterte’s directive aims to prevent the escalation of tension in the region.