President Rodrigo R. Duterte should let the Philippine Navy join war games in the South China Sea after China passed a law allowing its coast guard to fire at foreign vessels in the disputed waterway, political analysts said. “The President should now allow the Philippine Navy to join drills in the South China Sea, especially that Beijing no longer honors diplomatic protests,” Marlon M. Villarin, a political science professor from the University of Santo Tomas (UST), said in a Zoom Meetings interview. “We have to raise the flag in the disputed waters.” The Chinese law allows its coast guard to “take all necessary measures, including the use of weapons when national sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction are being illegally infringed upon by foreign organizations or individuals at sea.”

Atienza, K. A. T., & Tadalan, C. A. (2021, February 1). Duterte urged to allow navy to join drills in South China Sea. BusinessWorld, p. S1/8.