MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines said Monday, January 5, that it was “concerned” over the “consequential impact on peace and stability in the region as well as on the rules-based international order” of the attack of treaty ally the United States on Venezuela and the subsequent capture of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

“The Philippines views with concern the evolving events in Venezuela and its consequential impact on peace and stability in the region as well as on the rules-based international order,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement.

“While acknowledging the United States’ underlying security considerations, the Philippines stresses the relevant principles of international law, including the independence and sovereign equality of states, the peaceful resolution of disputes, the prohibition against the threat or use of force, and non-interference in the domestic affairs of sovereign states,” said the DFA.

That the US arrested Maduro by attacking Venezuela, a sovereign country, is in breach of international law and norms.

“The Philippines calls on concerned parties to respect international law, including the UN Charter, exercise restraint to prevent escalation of conflict, restore peace and order in Venezuela and promote the safety and well-being of all the people, including the Filipinos living in Venezuela and the surrounding countries,” the department added.

President Donald Trump has, himself, said that the US would “run” Venezuela and control its oil reserves. Venezuelan officials have rejected Trump’s apparent plan.

In the aftermath of the daring and controversial operation, Trump put little emphasis on the drug charges that was his administration’s basis for Maduro’s seizure in the first place. Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, has since been taken to a New York detention center. He has been indicted to several federal charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy.

The US is the Philippines’ sole treaty-ally and a crucial part of its defense network. Security and defense ties between Manila and Washington have grown closer under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., whose administration shepherded the addition of new Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) bases where Americans could preposition assets, expansion of drills between the two militaries, and conduct of joint sails with the US and other allies in the tension-filled West Philippine Sea.

It’s a “hyperdrive” of ties that’s been fueled, in part, by China’s growing aggression in the West Philippine Sea, an area within the greater South China Sea which Beijing claims in almost its entirety.

The Philippines and its allies and partners always cite the importance of upholding the rules-based international order in condemning China for harassing Philippine ships and in explaining why it has to increase it deterrence capabilities.

Experts have warned that the US operation in Venezuela against Maduro could embolden an already aggressive Beijing in its territorial claims in the South China Sea and democratically-governed Taiwan Strait.

“Washington’s consistent, long-standing arguments are always that the Chinese actions are violating international law but they are now damaging that,” said William Yang, an analyst at International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based NGO, told Reuters.

At least 74 Filipinos live in Venezuela, based on the official tally of the Philippine embassy in Colombia, which serves as the Philippines’ non-resident mission to Venezuela. None of them were reported hurt after the US attack on northern Venezuela, including its capital Caracas.

The Philippine embassy in Colombia has also advised all Filipinos in Venezuela to stay alert and informed, and to reach out to the embassy in Bogota for any assistance requests. – Rappler.com