Senators on Sunday condemned what they viewed as China’s continuous violation of international rules governing the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) as they raised the need for the Senate leadership to make a firm stand against it. Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said as foreign policy partner of the President, the Senate must come up with a strong stance against China’s “creeping invasion” of Philippine territory and must assert its sovereignty. Drilon noted that the Philippines has been asserting that the Kalayaan (Spratly) Islands is part of the country’s territory but with the presence of China in the area, it could be said that China is already occupying a part of the Philippine territory.

Antiporda, J. (2018, May 21). Senators condemn China's invasion of disputed territories. The Manila Times, pp. A1, A8.