MANILA — A senator on Tuesday raised concern on a program that sends Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) officers to China for training despite Beijing and Manila's territorial dispute over the West Philippine Sea.

Sen. Francis Tolentino, who chairs the Senate blue ribbon committee, said AFP officials had confirmed to him the military exchange program with China.

"Hindi po actually kadete, kundi mga opisyal na, na nagsku-schooling sa China…sa military school. Magsa-submit daw po ng report sa akin," he told TeleRadyo Serbisyo.

(These are no longer just cadets, but officials, who are training in China's military school. They said they would submit a report to me.)

Asked if the program should be suspended, he said, "Hindi ko po masagot ngayon, hinihintay ko po yung report. Siguro may matagal nang kasunduan sila, pero dahil nga ngayon sa mga tensyon sa West Philippine Sea, palagay ko hindi maganda na magpadala doon."

(I cannot answer that for now, pending the report. Perhaps they have a longstanding agreement for that, but because of the tensions in the West Philippine Sea, I don't think it's good to send officers there.)

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Manila summoned Beijing's envoy on Monday after the China Coast Guard blocked and used water cannon on Philippine vessels in the waterway.

The incident happened Saturday as the Philippine Coast Guard escorted charter boats carrying food, water, fuel and other supplies to Filipino military personnel stationed at Ayungin Shoal in the Spratly Islands.

Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, within which is the smaller West Philippine Sea, and has ignored a 2016 international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

China maintained that it took "necessary controls" against Philippine boats that "illegally" entered its waters, and said on Monday it was "professional and restrained".

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Ayungin Shoal is about 200 kilometers from the Philippine island of Palawan and more than 1,000 kilometers from China's nearest major landmass, Hainan island.

— With a report from Agence France-Presse