‘Warn us a little earlier,’ Marcos tells China after rocket launch

President Marcos Jr. on Friday called on China to notify the Philippines before launching its rocket to avoid risks and allow authorities to recover them safely.

Marcos issued the statement after China launched its Long March 12 rocket on Monday, which left debris within Philippine maritime territory.

During an interview with the Philippine media delegation covering his state visit to India, the President said this was not the first time suspected Chinese rocket debris had ended up in Philippine waters. “Well, it’s not the first time that this has happened. And, actually, if you look at the incidents, they did not commit any violations. There have been no casualties,” Marcos said.

“We just wish that perhaps they could warn us a little earlier so that we know the path of the rocket, where the path is, and if they will release stages, where they will fall,” he added. The President recalled telling Chinese leader Xi Jinping during a trip to Beijing that Manila was not interested in keeping the debris.

“And I remember in my trip to Beijing early on, that I told President Xi: ‘You know, we have no interest in your rockets. Just tell us where they will land, we will collect it and give it to you.’ And that continues to be my offer to China,” Marcos said. “If something falls, we will get it from the sea and bring it to you. No problem. The good side to all of this, there were no casualties. No one was hit. There was no problem,” he added.

The Philippine government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs, condemned China’s latest rocket launch, which caused suspected debris to fall near Palawan.