Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo (PCOO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) Panelo has voiced opposition to the “unjustified stay of Chinese vessels” in local waters, insisting that the country’s sovereignty was “non-negotiable” despite improved economic ties with the Asian giant. “While we recognize the historical and cultural ties with China that has evolved into a productive relationship, its present territorial incursions is producing an unwelcome stain in their bond and may trigger unwanted hostilities that both countries would rather not pursue, as destructiveness consequences are not only undesirable, they are abhorrent as well and anathema to the peace of the region,” he said in a statement issued late Sunday, April 4.