12/08/2024
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has condemned the recent air incident involving China’s Air Force and Philippine Air Force (PAF) plane over Scarborough Shoal.
Marcos criticized the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) for engaging in “unjustified, illegal, and reckless” behavior.
He emphasized that the PAF was conducting a routine patrol within Philippine sovereign territory.
“We have hardly started to calm the waters, and it is already worrying that there could be instability in our airspace,” Marcos said in a statement.
The President reaffirmed the Philippines' commitment to diplomacy and peaceful resolution but called on China to show responsible conduct in both maritime and aerial domains.
On Saturday, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reported that two PLAAF jets performed a risky maneuver and dropped flares in the path of a PAF aircraft.
The AFP said that these actions endangered the PAF crew and violated international aviation safety laws and regulations.