The Philippines will not stop China from building military structures on disputed islands in the South China Sea, Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. said yesterday. “We cannot, we cannot stop China at this point in time and saying ‘do not put that up’ – we will continue to pursue peaceful means at which all of this can be prevented,” Yasay said at a press briefing on the sidelines of President Duterte’s state visit here. Yasay reiterated the US, which is pushing for freedom of navigation within the disputed waters, and other countries such as Japan and the European Union, can separately deal with China regarding the presence of military weapons on the structures they built in the South China Sea.

Mendez, C., Laude, J., Diaz, J., & Macairan, E. (2016, December 17). Phl won't stop China action on reefs. The Philippine Star, pp. 1, 4.