Western Command chief says he won't allow Chinese to board vessels passing in disputed territory

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 29): Western Command chief says he won't allow Chinese to board vessels passing in disputed territory

Western Command chief Lt. Gen. Juancho Sabban Thursday said he will not permit Chinese authorities to board Filipino ships passing through disputed areas in the West Philippine Sea. "It's a violation of international passage if they did that," he emphasized. Sabban stressed the Philippine Navy and the Coast Guard will be deployed to prevent such an occurrence. "We have regular patrols that hopefully will prevent that," the Western Command chief stressed. He also slammed the move as the Philippine has been consistently making an effort to resolve the maritime territory dispute peacefully. China earlier granted its border patrol police the right to board and expel foreign ships entering disputed waters in the South China Sea, state media reported Thursday. The move comes after Beijing issued new passports containing a map showing its claim to almost the whole of the South China Sea.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=475784