AFP says troops acted professionally in South China Sea

June 4, 2024 - 10:51 AM
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Ayungin Shoal
Chinese Maritime Militia vessels are pictured near the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, March 5, 2024. (Reuters/Adrian Portugal/File Photo)

 The Philippine military denied on Tuesday Chinese allegations that troops stationed on a grounded warship in the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea had pointed guns at Chinese Coast Guard vessels.

Philippine personnel are governed by rules of engagement and clearly acted with highest level of professionalism, military spokesperson Francel Margareth Padilla told a press conference.

Chinese state media said on Sunday that personnel on a Philippine ship pointed guns at China’s Coast Guard in disputed waters of the South China Sea last month.

READ: China says Philippine personnel pointed guns at Chinese coast guard in disputed waters

—Reporting by Karen Lem; Writing by Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by John Mair