The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) filed a diplomatic protest against China on the dangerous maneuver and firing of flares by Chinese jets in the path of a Philippine Air Force plane patrolling near the Scarborough Shoal last week.

Without giving further details, Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Teresita Daza said on Tuesday that the diplomatic protest was already filed against China.

In an interview in Camp Aguinaldo Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, noted that all the data and information needed for the filing of diplomatic protest was submitted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

"The armed forces has provided all the data, the information to the Department of Foreign Affairs, this is for the filing of the diplomatic protest," he said.

Daza explained on Tuesday that the provisional understanding made during the bilateral consultative mechanism between China and Philippines only applies to the rotation and resupply (RORE) mission in Ayungin Shoal.

However, she noted that "the Philippines adopts a de-escalatory approach to tensions in the West Philippine Sea" and "it remains committed to diplomacy and peaceful means of resolving disputes."

In an interview on Monday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo admitted that the Philippines was taken "by surprise" as the incident happened after China and Philippines just "reached an understanding the other week" under the bilateral consultation mechanism (BCM) to de-escalate the tension in the West Philippines Sea.

Trinidad also noted that it is the first incident that the Chinese aircraft dropped flares in the path of a patrolling Philippine Air Force plane.

"It's the first (time) that an aircraft has dropped flares on an aircraft of the Philippine Air Force but there have been previous instances wherein the Philippine Air Force flights over the West Philippine Sea have experienced flares coming from the bases of the PLA (People's Liberation Army) in the West Philippine Sea but from an aircraft, it is the first time," he said. Robina Asido/DMS