‘Pinoy youth must prepare to fight for West PH Sea’

By Ernesto Delgado

LEGAZPI CITY --- China’s illegal occupation of parts of the West Philippine Sea poses a lasting challenge for Filipinos.

This was emphasized Monday by Commo. Jay Tarriela, spokesperson of the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea during a symposium in Sorsogon State University.

He said he does not believe the dispute will be resolved during President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s term.

“Justice Antonio Carpio has noted that the dispute over the West Philippine Sea is intergenerational, meaning it will persist beyond President “Bongbong” Marcos term, which ends in 2028. Future generations of Filipinos will continue to face this challenge,” Tarriela said in a mix of English and Filipino.

He added: “And this is why we engage our youth today, to help them understand that the responsibility of fighting for the West Philippine Sea is one they must continue in the years to come.”

Tarriela noted that the youth are not fully aware of why the Philippines is fighting for the WPS, why it matters, and how the WPS issue relates to the people of Sorsogon.

When asked whether China has enlisted Filipino influencers to promote its false narrative regarding the WPS, Tarriela did not rule out the possibility that China has hired trolls to carry out disinformation campaigns.

To combat this ongoing information warfare, Tarriela said the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) is enhancing public awareness through its transparency initiative.

“Our collaboration with the Philippine Information Agency and the National Youth Commission in various regions of the country is an important strategy to counter these operations and address the spread of fake news,” he said.

China’s actions align with its 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.

Tarriela likewise said that today’s Filipinos must stand up and fight for the WPS because it is our patriotic duty to honor the heroes who came before us and to safeguard the future for the next generations of Filipinos.

When asked what might encourage a Filipino to join this fight, he responded: “One thing that motivates and inspires each of us as we advocate for the West Philippine Sea is the consideration of the future for our fellow Filipinos.”

“If we give up on this now, what kind of West Philippine Sea will the next generation of Filipinos inherit?” (PIA5/Masbate)