MANILA, Philippines: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said that the reported presence of Chinese warships and a helicopter near Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) is "worrisome," but the Philippines will continue to defend its maritime territory.

In an interview before he departed for Australia, Marcos said the situation in the disputed waters has changed because of the presence of China's Navy.

"It's worrisome because there are two elements to that. One, before it was just the Chinese Coast Guard moving in our area, now it is the Navy with the fishing boats. So the situation is changing," he told reporters.

This handout photo taken on February 22, 2024 and received on February 25, 2024 from the Philippine Coast Guard shows a China Coast Guard vessel sailing near the BRP Datu Sanday during their mission to bring supplies to fishermen near the China-controlled Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea. AFP PHOTO / Philippine Coast Guard

"We just watch, of course, what everybody is doing, but for us, we just defend our maritime territory. We continue to support all of our fishermen who make their living from these fishing grounds," he added.

Commodore Jay Tarriela, Philippine Coast Guard spokesman for the West Philippine Sea, said that the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources monitored three People's Liberation Army Navy warships in the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc and a Chinese Navy helicopter.

Tarriela said the warships maintained a distance of more than 20 nautical miles away from the shoal.

"It is important for us to note that within Bajo de Masinloc, the 12 nautical miles, we have territorial sovereignty over these waters," he said.

"This is the first time that we have sighted this kind of aircraft in the area," Tarriela said.