Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate
(Bayan Muna Party list Facebook page / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
Zarate said China’s “saber-rattling” by threatening a “strong response” against the Philippine military and the evidence increase of military presence of western powers such as the April 4 entry of the US Navy’s Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group (TRCSG) could escalate into a serious conflict.
“In this light, we are calling for a complete demilitarization of the South China Sea amid the ramping up of military and naval presence by China, US and other western powers in the disputed maritime region,” Zarate said.
“The recent aggressive and expansionist actions of China is now apparently being taken as a cue by western powers, particularly the US, France, etc., to increase its military and naval presence in the region,” the lawmaker stressed.