The Department of National Defense (DND) on Friday said it would order the Armed Forces of the Philippines to investigate the incident Thursday in the West Philippine Sea where the boat chartered by an ABS-CBN news crew was chased by at least two Chinese attack craft armed with missiles.
RIGHT NOT MIGHT An aerial image of the Julian Felipe (Whitsun) Reef shows Chinese vessels in the area. Both Manila and Beijing are claiming ownership of the reef that is situated inside the country’s exclusive economic zone of the West Philippine Sea, which is located at the eastern part of the South China Sea. Conflict erupted anew on April 8, 2021 when Chinese missile boats chased an ABS-CBN television crew away from the disputed territory. The Department of National Defense ordered an investigation into the incident. The US assured the Philippines of the ‘applicability’ of the Mutual Defense Treaty in the ongoing conflict. PHOTO BY PLANET LABS IMAGERY