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Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star
April 1, 2025 | 12:00am
Coast guards from the Philippines, United States, and Japan gather together to participate in the first-ever trilateral marine exercises held at the waters of the West Philippine Sea, several meters away from Mariveles in Bataan on June 6, 2023.
Jesse Bustos / The Philippine STAR
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has shot down China’s recent accusation of instigating tensions in the West Philippine Sea, citing instead the latter’s history of encroachment on Philippine territory.
Commodore Jay Tarriela, the Philippine Coast Guard’s spokesman for the West Philippine Sea, criticized China’s takeover of Panganiban (Mischief) Reef, which is part of the municipality of Kalayaan in Palawan, and Zamora (Subi) Reef, both located in the WPS.
“First, China occupied Panganiban Reef in 1995, claiming it would serve only as a fishermen’s shelter, even though it is situated within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. Nearly two decades later, they transformed this shelter into a heavily fortified military base, complete with defense capabilities, a naval base and an airfield,” Tarriela posted on his X account on March 30.
He said China then proceeded with Zamora Reef, “initially a submerged feature” that is within the 12-nautical-mile territorial sea of Pag-asa Island, which China developed “into a significant artificial island equipped with a 3,000-meter runway and military infrastructure.”
“So, the question arises: who is truly escalating the tension in the West Philippine Sea? We must also consider their ongoing deployment of maritime forces in the area, their aggressive harassment of ordinary fishermen and their bullying tactics against smaller Philippine Coast Guard vessels,” Tarriela said.
The PCG spokesman said he made the remarks “before China can mislead the international community by claiming that the Philippines is provoking them and escalating tensions in the West Philippine Sea.”
Tarriela was responding to China’s state-owned publication China Daily that said “PLA warns the Philippines to cease provoking incidents in the South China Sea, pledging to remain on high alert” on X.
PLA-Navy warships have been detected in some areas of the West Philippine Sea, based on previous monitoring by the military and coast guard.
The most recent presence was a PLA-Navy ship with bow number 574 seen while the PCG and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources were distributing fuel and food to Filipino fishermen near Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, also called Bajo de Masinloc, last March 24.
The Philippines upholds its sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea, covered by the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) that was guaranteed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the landmark 2016 arbitral ruling.
Meanwhile, China maintains it has jurisdiction over almost the entire South China Sea by invoking its so-called nine-dash line claim, which the 2016 verdict has junked.
At the same time, the Armed Forces of the Philippines yesterday rejected China’s warning against Manila’s naval drills with the United States and Japan, saying the warning holds no weight against a unified stance.
AFP public affairs office chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said the armed forces conduct routine patrols and exercises within the Philippines’ EEZ and territorial waters, in accordance with international law, specifically UNCLOS.
He said these activities are sovereign rights and contribute to regional stability. — Cecille Suerte Felipe, Pia Lee-Brago
