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MANILA, Philippines — No apology to China is needed.
Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela made this clear yesterday in response to Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano’s demand that he apologize to China for his presentation of a caricature of its leader Xi Jinping at an academic forum.
“I find it very weird why I should apologize. Is that caricature more than enough to compensate for the harassment of the Chinese Coast Guard against our fishermen and PCG vessels, and the blocking of our resupply missions over the past years? That was an academic discussion. As far as I am concerned, we still have freedom of expression and academic freedom in this country,” Tarriela said in an interview with News 5. “This happened within a classroom setting,” he added.
He stressed the showing of the image at a school forum in Manila did not violate any policy or diplomatic protocol, as his presentation was not a press briefing or an issuance of an official government statement.
Tarriela maintained that official briefings rely on photos and videos of incidents in the West Philippine Sea rather than on illustrations.
“I don’t think I violated anything. For three years, our transparency efforts have always been supported by evidence,” he pointed out.
He said he found it puzzling that Cayetano had never demanded an apology from China over the actions of its coast guard and naval personnel against Filipino fishermen and vessels.
He also denied insinuations by critics, especially politicians, that he was using the West Philippine Sea issue for publicity or for his political ambitions.
“This is a very heartbreaking job. Every day you see yourself mocked on social media and challenged by politicians. Does it look like I’m enjoying this? I’m just doing my duty,” he said, emphasizing that he has no plans to enter politics as he intends to continue his career in the PCG.
Cayetano voiced his criticism of Tarriela during Senate deliberations on a resolution condemning Beijing diplomats’ hostile statements against Philippine officials who aired their defense of the country’s sovereignty and maritime rights.
The senator argued the chamber should not make it appear it was endorsing the Coast Guard spokesman’s statements, including his presentation of a caricature of Xi at a university lecture.
After hours of debate, the Senate adopted the resolution denouncing statements from the Chinese embassy but not declaring any of its diplomats persona non grata.
Tarriela welcomed the development, saying it indicated that views of senators sympathetic to China do not represent the position of the entire institution.
Full AFP backing
While under fire from sympathizers of the Chinese position among Filipino politicians, Tarriela enjoys the full backing of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), including for his invitation for Sen. Rodante Marcoleta to join patrols in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and even visit Pag-asa Island.
“The AFP supports the initiative of the Philippine Coast Guard and other government agencies to invite senior government officials to see what is out there in the West Philippine Sea, either by air or by sea,” Philippine Navy spokesman for the WPS, Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, said at a press briefing.
“We support the Philippine Coast Guard and the move to invite officials. Case to case basis, we invite government officials to visit the island,” he told reporters.
“The objective of foreign malign influence and intervention is to divide Philippine society, to divide Philippine leaders, to cause us to debate among ourselves and to forget that a bigger issue is the intrusion into our EEZ by the PLA Navy, Chinese Coast Guard and the maritime militia,” he said.
The Philippine Military Academy Alumni Association Inc. also slammed efforts to undermine Philippine sovereign rights over the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG).
“We unequivocally affirm the sovereignty and sovereign rights of the Republic of the Philippines over the (KIG) and its maritime zones in the West Philippine Sea. These rights are grounded in Philippine law and international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and are not subject to challenge by unlawful or coercive claims,” the organization said in a statement.
West Philippine Sea in curriculum
With several politicians appearing to favor China’s position, Akbayan party-list Rep. Chel Diokno said the government should make mandatory the study of the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue in all public and private educational institutions nationwide.
Diokno made the proposal through House Bill 1625, or the proposed West Philippine Sea Mandatory Education Act of 2025, together with fellow Akbayan lawmakers Perci Cendana and Dadah Kiram Ismula, Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-ao, Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima and Albay 1st District Rep. Cielo Krisel Lagman.
He called on President Marcos to certify these measures as urgent and urged his colleagues in the House and the Senate to act without delay.
“Now that we are facing increasingly pressing concerns regarding the West Philippine Sea and our maritime boundaries, it is more important than ever that Filipinos – especially the youth – fully understand our rights, our history and the truth, grounded not only in well-documented history of territorial ownership, but also in international law,” Diokno said in HB 1625.
“We need to prioritize the passage of this proposal to ensure that future generations are equipped with factual knowledge about the West Philippine Sea, including the Philippines’ sovereign rights and the significance of our legal victory against China in the 2016 arbitral ruling,” he added.
Under the proposed measure, lessons on the WPS dispute, the Philippines’ maritime entitlements under UNCLOS and the landmark ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague would be integrated into the curricula of public and private schools.
“This will ensure that students fully understand the significance of the PCA ruling, the Philippines’ right to protect its territorial jurisdiction and the implications of China’s refusal to recognize the ruling,” the bill’s explanatory note said.
Not for debate
Meanwhile, UP Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea director Jay Batongbacal has rejected calls for a public debate on Philippine sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea, saying the country’s rights are already established under domestic and international law.
“If it’s about the sovereignty, rights and entitlements of the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea, that’s not a matter for debate,” Batongbacal said in an interview with “Storycon” on One News. “These are enshrined in our laws and in our Constitution.”
His remarks came after Marcoleta challenged him, Tarriela and retired Supreme Court senior associate justice Antonio Carpio to a “friendly debate” on the WPS issue.
Carpio has agreed to the debate. — Michael Punongbayan, Jose Rodel Clapano
