Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana

"We call on the Chinese to stop this incursion and immediately recall these boats violating our maritime rights and encroaching into our sovereign territory," Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in a statement.

The Philippines on Sunday accused China of "incursion" after hundreds of militia boats were spotted near a disputed reef in the South China Sea.

"We call on the Chinese to stop this incursion and immediately recall these boats violating our maritime rights and encroaching into our sovereign territory," Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in a statement.