MANILA, Nov. 19 (PNA) — Despite the arrival of the USS Fitzgerald, an American guided-missile destroyer in Manila South Harbor, all security measures related to the ongoing Asia-Pacific Economic Conference (APEC) Leaders Summit are being performed by the military and police.
This was revealed by Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Col. Restituto Padilla Thursday.
“All APEC Security Task Force assets are from the Philippines. No foreign government is helping us in this task. Foreign ships (like the USS Fitzgerald and BNS Somudra Avijan) are only here for port calls,” he added.
The two ships arrived in the country early this week.
As this develops, Padilla said the AFP is yet to detect any Chinese warship or vessel intruding into the West Philippine Sea.
And while these vessels could pass through international waters, he added that these ships are prohibited from entering Philippine territorial waters.
If needed, Padilla said these ships will be blocked or intercepted. (PNA)