MANILA, Philippines — After drawing flak for his recent remarks on Beijing's installment of a maritime rescue center on a Manila-claimed reef in the West Philippine Sea, presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo clarified his stand on the matter. Panelo: I’ll be thankful for one, if they informed us initially. Rep. Gary Alejano (Magdalo Party-list) said Panelo's pronouncement that the Philippines should be thankful for the Chinese rescue center on Kagitingan Reef was an "act of surrender." The opposition lawmaker pointed out that Beijing's recent actions in the West Philippine Sea is an "outright assertion of dominance." Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio had urged the Philippine government to protest Beijing's establishment of a distress center on Kagitingan Reef.

Source: Philippine Star February 01, 2019 08:26 UTC