Chinese ships moored in great numbers in the Julian Felipe Reef are trying to drive away Philippine military “sovereignty patrols” in the area, but their warnings are being ignored by the government, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Monday, even as he disclosed proposals to anchor a tanker ship inside the reef. “There is no physical confrontation, but there are warnings, their warnings [say] ‘do not come here.’ We [replied], ‘we are patrolling our area,” the defense chief told CNN Philippines as he provided a glimpse of the latest situation inside the reef. Lorenzana said the exchanges between the Chinese manning the maritime militia vessels and the Filipino patrols are “standard,” saying these are regular occurrences every time the military conducts sovereignty run in the West Philippine Sea territory.

Acosta, R. (2021, March 30). Chinese ships remain in Julian Felipe Reef, defense chief says. Business Mirror, p. A3.