The presence of a fleet of Chinese ships in the Julian Felipe Reef were among the issues discussed by President Duterte during his recent meeting with Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian, Malacanang said on Thursday, as harsh exchanges on the subject, from various parties, continued to rule social media. In an online press briefing, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque confirmed the discussion happened last week around the time he tested positive for Covid-19. During the meeting, he said the President expressed concern over the incident in Julian Felipe Reef.

Medenilla, S. P., & Mercene, R. (2021, March 26). Verbal row over reef militia sizzles; Duterte, Huang meet. Business Mirror, pp. A2, A4.