President Duterte may have repeatedly warned that raising the arbitral ruling favoring the Philippine claim in the South China Sea may lead to a war with China. But for Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., the possibility of an armed confrontation between countries in the region, as well as those involving outsiders, is “totally remote.” Speaking before the United Nations General Assembly here in New York on Saturday (early Sunday in Manila), Locsin said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) continues to negotiate a Code of Conduct (COC) with China in the South China Sea.

Mateo, J. (2019, September 30). Possibility of war in SCS 'totally remote' - Locsin. The Philippine Star, p. 10.