Malacañang said Saturday there was no need for President Rodrigo Duterte to convene the National Security Council to discuss the ramming incident in Recto Bank and the presence of foreign vessels in waters within the country’s exclusive economic zone. This was the response of Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo to Senator Richard Gordon who suggested that Duterte should talk to the NSC over the abandonment of the 22 Filipino fishermen by a Chinese vessel. The Palace spokesperson said the NSC should only be convened if the country was facing a crisis, saying there was no imminent danger to the country’s security.

Barcelo, V. (2019, June 30). Palace: no need for NSC to convene. Manila Standard, pp. A1, A2.