MANILA, Philippines — A senior Filipino diplomat known for his past expletive-laced tirade against China joined a coast guard trip to the disputed South China Sea last week and saw Beijing's ships block and nearly collide with Philippine vessels, including one he was on.
Teodoro Locsin Jr. was on one of two Philippine coast guard vessels that escorted two Philippine boats to deliver food and other supplies to a Filipino marine territorial outpost in the Second Thomas Shoal on Oct. 4, the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday. It was not immediately clear why the public disclosure of his participation in the trip was delayed.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed Locsin, 74, as a special envoy to China in August, in addition to his role as the Philippine ambassador to the United Kingdom based in London.
“As special envoy, he is expected to be up to date on the matters that he will discuss with China and there is no better way to understand the West Philippine Sea issue than to see, for himself, what is happening in our own waters,” Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Teresita Daza said, using the Philippine name for the South China Sea waters nearer the country's western coast.
“We are confident that this firsthand information will allow him to effectively convey our concerns to China,” Daza said.
As the Philippine foreign secretary under Marcos's predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte,…
