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Ghio Ong, Alexis Romero - The Philippine Star
February 28, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang yesterday stood by President Marcos’ conditions for the removal of the US Typhon missile launchers after Chinese state-run media echoed the demand for the Philippines to pull out the mid-range missile system for the sake of regional “peace and prosperity.”
In January, Beijing said Manila should “quickly” pull out the missile launchers, calling the deployment a “highly dangerous move and an extremely irresponsible choice.”
Marcos responded by saying that he was ready to yield to Beijing’s demand if it stops claiming Manila’s territory and engaging in aggressive and coercive behavior in the West Philippine Sea.
On Wednesday, People’s Daily, the newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, repeated the call for the Philippines to pull out the missile system, saying the region “needs peace and prosperity, not intermediate range missiles and confrontation.” The newspaper also claimed that the Philippines had promised that the deployment of the missile launchers was only temporary.
Asked to react to the Chinese paper’s statement, Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said Marcos’ stance on the issue has not changed.
“We will repeat the latest pronouncement of the President. The President has not changed his pronouncement. He has demands. If China wants to make a demand, we have a counter demand,” Castro said.
In a media interview in Cebu last Jan. 30, Marcos said he could not comprehend Beijing’s statements, noting that the Philippines does not make any remarks about China missile systems that are “a thousand times more powerful.”
“Let’s make a deal with China: stop claiming our territory, stop harassing our fishermen and let them have a living, stop ramming our boats, stop water cannoning our people, stop firing lasers at us, and stop your aggressive and coercive behavior, and we’ll return the Typhon missiles,” he said.
“If they stop what they are doing, I will pull them out,” he said.
CCG ship spotted
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) detected anew the presence of the China Coast Guard (CCG) in the West Philippine Sea.
A CCG patrol ship with bow number 3301 was seen sailing between “105-110 nautical miles off the coast of Zambales,” according to Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesman on West Philippine Sea issues.
As usual, PCG’s 97-meter patrol vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua challenged the patrol of CCG 3301 through radio.
A male officer onboard the PCG ship radioed the nearby CCG vessel that its presence “constitutes a violation of the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the 2016 Arbitral Award.”
Philippines, Malaysia defense talks
Despite also having overlapping claims in the South China Sea, the Philippines and Malaysia have reaffirmed each other’s commitments to resolve disputes diplomatically.
Defense chiefs from both countries affirmed their respective commitments in bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Ministers’ Meeting Retreat in Penang, Malaysia.
Malaysian Defense Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin praised Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr.’s speech on Wednesday where the latter called on member states to stand united and resolute amid emerging security challenges confronting the region.
Meanwhile, DFA Undersecretary for bilateral relations and ASEAN affairs Ma. Theresa Lazaro met with Deputy Secretary General of the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dato’ Ahmad Rozian bin Abd. Ghani, in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Putrajaya, Malaysia on Wednesday.
The two officials noted the progress of negotiations toward a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea. — Michael Punongbayan, Pia Lee-Brago
