Duterte bluffed a jet ski ride; a woman made it happen

As I write this, Atin Ito, the civil society coalition known for its civilian-led supply missions to the West Philippine Sea, has safely arrived on Pag-asa Island, marking the latest voyage into our own sovereign waters. As in its previous missions, the group is delivering essential supplies, this time to the residents of Pag-asa Island, Filipinos who stand on the frontline of a quiet but resolute assertion of the country’s lawful claim, even as China continues its illegal presence and acts of aggression.

According to Edicio dela Torre, Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM) president and Atin Ito co-convenor, their latest mission aims to provide needed fuel and supplies to fishers who are among those hardest hit by the current global oil crisis. He also pointed out that the mission is an expression of solidarity with the people of Pag-asa Island and their local government leaders, who have been banned from traveling to China, Hong Kong and Macau for courageously passing a resolution declaring the new Chinese ambassador to the Philippines persona non grata for his consistent meddling in the country’s internal affairs and verbal attacks against Philippine officials.

Dela Torre added that their presence is also a gesture of support for residents who felt both insulted and betrayed by Sen. Rodante Marcoleta’s now-infamous proposal to hand Pag-asa Island over to China to “ease tensions.” His remark was met with near-universal condemnation, earning him the fitting moniker “Tsinador.” He has since claimed he was misquoted, an explanation made less convincing by his amusing attempt to have his own recorded words stricken from Senate records. I guess Marcoleta realized that if he can’t defend his remarks, he might as well have them all deleted.

What makes this voyage different, as Atin Ito noted, is the foreign media’s access to Pag-asa Island, the first such opportunity in quite some time. This builds on the success of Atin Ito’s first mission in 2023, when international journalists were allowed aboard Philippine vessels and reported live. The renewed presence of media, both domestic and international, is strategic. Transparency and relentless civilian activities are important tools for securing our sovereign rights and territorial dignity in the face of a foreign aggressor with a nasty habit of peddling fake news. This is crucial given the nearby artificial islands being built by China near Pag-asa to reinforce its expansive territorial claims. The timing is also notable; the mission comes just a week before the 48th ASEAN Summit, which the Philippines will host and chair, where issues related to the West Philippine Sea are expected to be high on the agenda.

One of the most talked-about features of this mission is the “jet ski flag ride” in the waters surrounding Pag-asa Island. According to Akbayan lawmaker Dadah Kiram Ismula, who led the activity, the act is rich in symbolism. She pointedly contrasted it with the long-unfulfilled promise of former president, and now ICC detainee, Rodrigo Duterte, who once vowed to ride a jet ski to plant the Philippine flag in the West Philippine Sea, only to later renege on his promise to kowtow to China. This time, Ismula said, the promise will not be shelved.

A Mindanaoan like Duterte, Ismula, who is also a Moro, an indigenous leader and a woman, said that where the former president failed and betrayed the West Philippine Sea, she and her fellow advocates acted with resolve.

Unsurprisingly, this did not sit well with Duterte’s apologists. They said that Ismula’s jet ski ride in the West Philippine Sea accomplishes nothing. Funny. When Digong promised this in 2016, they were all praises for his supposed bravery and patriotism. Even when he admitted that it was all just an election gimmick, they continued to praise him. Now, when real patriots actually did it, they dismiss it as trivial.

Their objection is understandable, as it further exposes Duterte’s treachery and subservience to China, puncturing Digong’s fake patriotism that his defenders have long tried to sustain. For the Dutertes, sovereignty matters only when it can be invoked as a shield, particularly against accountability, including scrutiny from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

This is exactly the reason why Ismula’s jet ski flag ride matters. It is not simply a reminder of Duterte’s broken promise; it reclaims the narrative. China has for many years sought to depict many of our actions in our own waters as “provocations,” as if we must tiptoe around what is rightfully ours. Ismula refuses to follow this script. She offers a simpler truth: the West Philippine Sea is an integral part of our country, as affirmed by law and history, and we should be able to do things there with the same ease and dignity as we do anywhere else in our country.

It is also a reminder of the power of storytelling in shaping public awareness. Yes, facts matter, but alone, they rarely move people. Compelling stories do. They give meaning to events, translate the abstract into lived experience and make distant issues feel immediate and personal.

Atin Ito’s story is simple. It frames the West Philippine Sea not simply as a geopolitical issue, but as part of the nation’s everyday life. It is a place where Filipinos fish, travel, raise their families, wave their flag and assert their rights not through confrontation, but through peaceful presence.

What was once a campaign promise turned punchline is now a defiant act on open water. Off Pag-asa Island, the jet ski is no longer a symbol of cowardice and betrayal; it is now a symbol of active citizenship and resistance in the face of foreign aggression.