President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Friday demanded transparency from Beijing after the recent launch of a Chinese rocket near Palawan, warning that a lack of advance notice poses safety risks to Filipinos.
While ruling out immediate legal action, he said the launch that drew concern from experts and government officials caused no damage and did not technically violate any laws.
“This is not the first time this has happened,” Mr. Marcos told reporters.
“There have been no violations and no casualties, but we should be warned earlier so we know the rocket’s path and where the stages might fall,” he added.
The President revealed he had already raised the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping in an earlier meeting, offering to recover and return any debris that might fall into Philippine waters.
“I told President Xi: We have no interest in your rockets. Just tell us where they will land, we will collect them and give them back to you… You don’t need to take it from us. What will we do with it anyway?” Marcos said.
“No one was hurt this time, nothing was struck, and no problems arose… But we need to make sure it stays that way,” he added.
