Manila Militant students vowed to continue their protest against the holding of war games between American and Filipino soldiers in the South China Sea, adding that they don't want the Philippines to be like a pawn between the US and China.
"We don't want the Philippines to be caught in the middle of two clashing giants," said a student preparing posters for the rallies in Manila, ahead of the start of war games called Balikatan (arm to arm) Monday.
The protesters clashed with riot police as they gathered at the embassy gates on Manila's Roxas Boulevard on April 5, the formal opening of the Balikatan exercises.
In reaction, Philippine military spokesman for Balikatan, Major Emmanuel Garcia, said: "The two weeks of exercises will be done near the shores of the Palawan group of islands [in southwestern Philippines].
"There is no way we will conduct these military exercises on contested [areas], or on waters that are not ours. Clearly all exercises will be done on Philippine territory," he said.
The annual exercises, which involve 8,000 troops from both countries, will include drills in three locations including Luzon and Palawan which face the South China Sea. The war games will end on April 27.
Heightened tensions occurred last Sunday between the Philippine Navy and several Chinese vessels over the alleged illegal poaching near the Scarborough Shoal, 230km west of central Luzon's Subic Bay.
Both countries arrived at a partial resolution to the conflict Saturday.
Observers, including students, believe that the show of force between allies would be misinterpreted by China as a provocative act.
