Manila, May 8 -- Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino on Thursday decried the parlous maneuvers of two Chinese warships and a China Coast Guard vessel near Bajo de Masinloc on Monday, saying this posed a direct threat to regional stability.

"These actions are not only reckless and dangerous -- they are blatant violation of international maritime norms and an affront to Philippine sovereignty," Tolentino said in a statement, as he called on the Department of Foreign Affairs to file a formal diplomatic protest against Beijing.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) earlier confirmed the May 5 incident, in which two Jiangkai II-class frigates, bearing bow numbers 554 and 573, and China Coast Guard vessel 5403 engaged in "aggressive ...