Next president must continue fight to protect West Philippine Sea – PCG

MANILA, Philippines — With the country’s national identity at stake, an official of the Philippine Coast Guard said the president to be elected in 2028 must be somebody who will continue President Marcos’ policy of protecting the West Philippine Sea from China’s aggression.

Commodore Jay Tarriela, the PCG’s spokesman for the WPS, said it is for this reason their transparency initiative is reaching out to many people, not only in Luzon but also in the Visayas and Mindanao, to increase the public’s awareness on the need to defend the country’s territorial waters.

“We need to increase awareness more to ensure the president in 2028 is not somebody who is going to set aside our fight in the West Philippine Sea,” Tarriela said at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.

Taking a swipe at Marcos’ predecessor – former president Rodrigo Duterte – the spokesman said the next leader of the country must not be somebody who promises to ride a jet ski and plant a Philippine flag at Spratly Island, but would later kowtow to China.

Tarriela said the defense of the WPS is not only a role for the government, but for every Filipino who will tell the world that China continues to harass Filipino fishermen and violate international laws.

The situation was different during Duterte’s presidency, Tarriela said, when Filipinos developed a defeatist mindset due to the suppression of information about China’s aggression at the WPS.

Under Marcos, Tarriela said 89 percent of Filipinos are aware of the issues at the WPS.

He is hoping that Filipinos would exhibit the same fervor, much like when gymnast Carlos Yulo won gold in the Olympics or when tennis player Alexandra Eala gained international recognition.

“That’s the main concept I would like to address to our fellow Filipinos – our national identity is actually at stake in our fight in the West Philippine Sea,” Tarriela said.