To avoid being accused of provocation by Beijing, the military will not send naval ships to the Julian Felipe Reef in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) now being swarmed by Chinese vessels and instead just let Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) or Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessels assert the country’s sovereignty in the area. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana pointed this out yesterday in an interview with CNN Philippines. But he stressed the Navy “will be patrolling the area, the general vicinity of the area.”

Punongbayan, M., Lee-Brago, P., & Porcalla, D. (2021, March 30). Phl sending Coast Guard, BFRA ships to reef. The Philippine Star, p. 2.