MANILA, March 17 -- The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Monday that it has suspended its search for the missing Malaysian aircraft in South China Sea.

The AFP's Westerm Command (WESCOM) deployed a total of three ships and three aircraft since March 8, after Malaysian authorities officially declared Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 missing.

"We dispatched our C-130s several times for wider coverage. We did not find anything," said Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin.

Gazmin said the Philippine military launched the search after receiving information about the missing plane and getting a request for assistance from Malaysia.

WESCOM spokesman 1 Lt. Cherryl Tindog said the Philippine military temporarily suspended search operations on Sunday, a day after a three-hour aerial patrol yielded negative results.

Tindog, however, said that the AFP is willing to resume the search for the missing aircraft "should there be developments that would warrant the Philippines' participation."