‘Don’t elect pro-China candidates!’

By Keren Anne Bernadas

LEGAZPI CITY --- Philippine Coast Guard Commo. Jay Tarriela urged voters in the Bicol region to elect candidates who support the fight for the West Philippine Sea (WPS), warning that voting for pro-China opponents threatens the Philippines’ maritime territory.

“Let us avoid electing politicians who are supportive of Chinese interests. Up until now, some have not supported our efforts regarding the West Philippine Sea,” Tarriela, also spokesperson for the National Task Force on WPS, said during a press briefing in the city.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed the Philippine Maritime Zone Act in November of last year, which reaffirmed that the WPS is an exclusive economic zone belonging to the Philippines.

The WPS includes the Luzon Sea and the surrounding waters of the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc, with some areas occupied by China.

China’s actions align with its unfounded assertion of sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea, including most of the WPS.

In 2016, an international arbitration panel rejected China’s broad claims, but Beijing continues to disregard this ruling, which was grounded in the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.

“Our struggle in the West Philippine Sea will be very challenging if those elected in the upcoming term do not continue the initiatives set forth by the current administration,” the Coast Guard official emphasized.

“The formulation of policies, the allocation of budgets for the West Philippine Sea, and the exposure of violations by Chinese aggressors, including disinformation and fake news, will be incredibly difficult without support from national leaders,” he said.

Therefore, Filipinos must ensure that the politicians they elect will continue to work alongside fishermen and Coast Guard personnel in the West Philippine Sea “dahil ang pinipili nila ay ang ating bansang minamahal, ang Pilipinas (because the choose our beloved nation, the Philippines),” he added. (PIA5)