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In this handout photo provided by the Armed Forces of the Philippines Public Affairs Office, Philippine military chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. talks during a conference with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at Camp Aguinaldo military headquarters in Quezon City, Philippines on Thursday July 4, 2024. Philippine forces would defend themselves with "the same level of force" if they come under assault again from China's coast guard in the disputed South China Sea where Chinese personnel armed with machetes and spears injured Filipino navy men and damaged two of their boats in a chaotic faceoff last month, the Philippine military chief warned Thursday. (Armed Forces of the Philippines Public Affairs Office via AP)

Philippine military chief warns his forces will fight back if assaulted again in disputed sea

By Jim Gomez - Associated Press

Honor America's 'ironclad commitment' to the Philippines illustration by Alexander Hunter/ The Washington Times

Honor America’s ‘ironclad commitment’ to the Philippines

By Grant Newsham

FILE - Philippine resupply vessel Unaizah May 4 is hit by Chinese coast guard water canon blast causing injuries to multiple crew members as they tried to enter the Second Thomas Shoal, locally known as Ayungin Shoal, in the disputed South China Sea Tuesday, March 5, 2024. China and the Philippines held a crucial meeting Tuesday July 2, 2024 to try to ease escalating tensions following their worst confrontation in the disputed South China Sea that caused injuries to Filipino navy personnel, damaged two military boats and sparked fears of a wider conflict that could involve Manila’s treaty ally the United States. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)

China and the Philippines hold crucial talks after chaotic confrontation in disputed South China Sea

By Jim Gomez - Associated Press

FILE - Sara Duterte, daughter of outgoing populist president of the Philippines, signs documents during her oath taking as vice president in her hometown in Davao city, southern Philippines, June 19, 2022. Sara Duterte, who resigned from her position last week, said Tuesday, June 25, 2024, that her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, and two brothers plan to run for the Senate in mid-term elections next year. (AP Photo/Manman Dejeto, File)

Former Philippine President Duterte plans to run for Senate next year, daughter says

Associated Press

In this handout photo provided by Armed Forces of the Philippines, Chinese Coast Guard hold knives and machetes as they approach Philippine troops on a resupply mission in the Second Thomas Shoal at the disputed South China Sea on June 17, 2024. The president of the Philippines said Sunday, June 23, 2024, his country would not yield to “any foreign power” after Chinese forces injured Filipino navy personnel and damaged at least two military boats with machetes, axes and hammers in a clash in the disputed South China Sea, but added the Philippines would never instigate a war.(Armed Forces of the Philippines via AP, File)

Philippines says it won’t back down, but won’t start a war, after clash with Chinese Coast Guard

By Jim Gomez - Associated Press

In this handout photo provided by Armed Forces of the Philippines, Chinese Coast Guard hold knives and machetes as they approach Philippine troops on a resupply mission in the Second Thomas Shoal at the disputed South China Sea on June 17, 2024. The president of the Philippines said Sunday, June 23, 2024, his country would not yield to “any foreign power” after Chinese forces injured Filipino navy personnel and damaged at least two military boats with machetes, axes and hammers in a clash in the disputed South China Sea, but added the Philippines would never instigate a war.(Armed Forces of the Philippines via AP, File)

Marcos struggles with message as Beijing ramps up the pressure

By Andrew Salmon - The Washington Times

In this handout photo provided by Armed Forces of the Philippines, Chinese Coast Guard hold knives and machetes as they approach Philippine troops on a resupply mission in the Second Thomas Shoal at the disputed South China Sea on June 17, 2024. The Philippines said Friday, June 21, 2024, it has no plan to invoke its mutual defense treaty with the United States after Chinese coast guard vessels rammed, boarded and used machetes and axes to damage two Philippine navy boats in a chaotic faceoff that injured Filipino navy personnel at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. (Armed Forces of the Philippines via AP)

Philippines won’t invoke mutual defense treaty with U.S. after Chinese confrontation at shoal

By Jim Gomez - Associated Press

FILE - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., right, and Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong inspect honor guards during a welcome ceremony in Hanoi, Vietnam Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024. Vietnam is ready to hold talks with the Philippines to settle their overlapping claims to the undersea continental shelf in the South China Sea, official Vietnamese media said Friday, June 21, 2024, in a diplomatic approach that contrasts with China’s increasingly assertive actions to fortify its claims in the contested waters. (Hoang Thong Nhat/VNA via AP, File)

Vietnam says it’s ready to hold talks with Philippines on overlapping continental shelf claims

By Aniruddha Ghosal and Jim Gomez - Associated Press

A dilapidated but still active Philippine Navy ship BRP Sierra Madre sits at the Second Thomas Shoal, locally known as Ayungin Shoal, at the disputed South China Sea on Aug. 22, 2023. The United States renewed a warning Tuesday, June 18, 2024, that it’s obligated to defend its close treaty ally a day after Filipino navy personnel were injured and their supply boats damaged in one of the most serious confrontations between the Philippines and China in a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, officials said. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)

Philippines demands China return rifles and pay for boat damage after hostilities in disputed sea

By Jim Gomez - Associated Press

In this handout photo provided by Armed Forces of the Philippines, Chinese Coast Guard hold knives and machetes as they approach Philippine troops on a resupply mission in the Second Thomas Shoal at the disputed South China Sea on June 17, 2024. The Philippine military chief demanded Wednesday that China return several rifles and equipment seized by the Chinese coast guard in a disputed shoal and pay for damage in an assault he likened to an act of piracy in the South China Sea. (Armed Forces of the Philippines via AP)

Philippines demands China return rifles, pay for boat damage after hostilities in disputed sea

By Jim Gomez - Associated Press

FILE - Sara Duterte, daughter of outgoing populist president of the Philippines, signs documents during her oath taking as vice president in her hometown in Davao city, southern Philippines, Sunday, June 19, 2022. Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte resigned Wednesday, June 19, 2024, from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Cabinet in the latest sign that their whirlwind political alliance has unraveled over key differences, including government efforts to arrest a religious leader accused of sex abuses and Manila’s handling of its escalating territorial disputes with Beijing. (AP Photo/Manman Dejeto, File)

The Philippine vice president resigns from posts in Marcos’ Cabinet as alliance flounders

By Jim Gomez - Associated Press

Philippine navy ship BRP Sierra Madre is seen at the Second Thomas Shoal, locally known as Ayungin Shoal, at the South China Sea, April 23, 2023. A Chinese vessel and a Philippine supply ship collided near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea on Monday, June 17, 2024, China's coast guard said.(AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

China blames Philippines for ship collision in South China Sea. Manila calls the report deceptive

By Simina Mistreanu and Jim Gomez - Associated Press

In this image taken from a video released by Philippine Coast Guard, a Chinese coast guard vessel sails along a Philippine boat, bottom, to block off the Waters of Second Thomas Shoal, on May 19, 2024. The Philippines has asked a United Nations body to formally recognize the extent of its undersea continental seabed in the South China Sea, where it would have the exclusive right to exploit resources, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Saturday, June 15, 2024, in a move that rejects China’s vast territorial claims to the region.(Philippine Coast Guard via AP, File)

Philippines asks for U.N. confirmation of vast continental seabed in the disputed South China Sea

By Jim Gomez - Associated Press

In this April 22, 2019 handout photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, Chinese service boats scour the seabed as they search for giant clams in the Scarborough shoal, at the disputed South China Sea, the Philippine Coast Guard said. The Philippines blamed Chinese fishermen on Monday May 20, 2024 for the massive loss of giant clams in a disputed shoal fiercely guarded by Beijing's coast guard in the South China Sea and demanded an international inquiry to determine the extent of environmental damage in the far-flung fishing atoll. (Philippine Coast Guard via AP)

Philippines blames China for loss of giant clams in disputed shoal and urges environmental inquiry

By Jim Gomez - Associated Press

In this photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, fishing boats carrying activists and volunteers belonging to a nongovernment coalition called Atin Ito, Tagalog for This is Ours, pass by waters off Palauig Point, Zambales province, northwestern Philippines as they head towards Scarborough Shoal on Wednesday May 15, 2024. A flotilla of about 100 mostly small fishing boats led by Filipino activists sailed Wednesday to a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, where Beijing's coast guard and suspected militia ships have used powerful water cannons to ward off what they regard as intruders. (Philippine Coast Guard via AP)

About 100 Filipino activists and fishermen sail on wooden boats to disputed shoal guarded by China

By Jim Gomez - Associated Press

FILE - A security guard signals to a car with diplomatic plates and Chinese flag as he parks at the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila, Philippines on Aug. 7, 2023. A top Philippine security official demanded Friday May 10, 2024 the immediate expulsion of Chinese diplomats who reportedly leaked an alleged phone conversation between an embassy official and a Filipino admiral about handling the South China Sea territorial rifts, which have escalated and strained relations. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)

Top Philippine security official demands Chinese diplomats’ expulsion as territorial row escalates

Associated Press

U.S. troopers in battle gear walk under the scorching sun during a joint military exercise on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, in Laoag, Ilocos Norte, northern Philippines. American, Australian and Filipino forces launched a barrage of high-precision rockets, artillery fire and airstrikes to sink a ship Wednesday as part of large-scale war drills in waters facing the disputed South China Sea that has antagonized Beijing. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

U.S. and Philippine forces sink mock ship during drills in the disputed South China Sea

By Jim Gomez and Aaron Favila - Associated Press

In this image made from video provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Coast Guard vessel, BRP BAGACAY (MRRV-4410) is water cannoned by Chinese Coast Guards as it tried to approach the waters near Scarborough Shoal locally known as Bajo De Masinloc at the South China Sea on Tuesday April 30, 2024. (Philippine Coast Guard via AP)

Manila seizes the moral high ground in information wars with China

By Andrew Salmon - The Washington Times

FILE - Philippine resupply vessel Unaizah May 4, left, is hit by two Chinese coast guard water canons as they tried to enter the Second Thomas Shoal, locally known as Ayungin Shoal, in the disputed South China Sea on March 5, 2024. For the first time, China has publicized what it claims is an unwritten 2016 agreement with the Philippines over access to South China Sea islands. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)

China publicizes for the first time what it claims is a 2016 agreement with Philippines

By Christopher Bodeen - Associated Press

In this handout photo provided by the Philippine Army 6th Infantry Division, recovered firearms from suspected members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters are seen after a gunbattle with Philippine troops at Datu Saudi Ampatuan town in Maguindanao del Sur province, southern Philippines, on April 22, 2024. Philippine forces killed an Abu Sayyaf militant, who had been implicated in past beheadings, including of 10 Filipino marines and two kidnapped Vietnamese, in a clash in the south, police officials said Friday, April 26. (Philippine Army 6th Infantry Division via AP, File)

Philippine police kill an Abu Sayyaf militant implicated in 15 beheadings and other atrocities

By Jim Gomez - Associated Press