West Philippine Sea Transparency Group

Correction: It is not our statements that escalate tensions in the West Philippine Sea and the entire South China Sea. Rather, it is China’s illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions that undermine regional peace and stability in this part of the world. Just look at

This shows the massive scale of the illegal reclamation by the Chinese government on Panganiban Reef (Mischief Reef), located well within our Exclusive Economic Zone. Whenever our aircraft pass through the area during Maritime Domain Awareness flights, China has the audacity to challenge us claiming that they have “indisputable sovereignty” in this area—and in some instances, like the one shown here, they have even launched flares toward our aircraft. It is worth noting that China first illegally occupied Panganiban Reef, initially claiming they were only building a shelter for fishermen. Today, it stands as one of the largest Chinese military installations in the entire South China Sea. We should not forget that the reef lies only about 120 nautical miles from the coastline of Palawan, yet more than 600 nautical miles away from China.

𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏𝐒 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐎 𝐅𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐎𝐋𝐊 𝐍𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐁𝐀𝐉𝐎 𝐃𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐋𝐎𝐂 The 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐆𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝 (𝐏𝐂𝐆) 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐚𝐣𝐨 𝐝𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐜 (𝐁𝐃𝐌) after 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 in the said area. The PCG, in coordination with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), said the 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧 and to deliver essential support, including fuel subsidies, ice, and food packs. According to 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐀𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐉𝐚𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐚, Filipino fishermen monitored 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐆𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟏𝟔𝟎𝟓, 𝟑𝟏𝟎𝟕, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝟑𝟏𝟎𝟑, 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚 𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐬, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬, including the repeated use of sirens and the launching of Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIB) specifically 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 and 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐣𝐨 𝐝𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐜. Moreover, PCG aircraft conducting a Maritime Domain Awareness flight over BDM monitored 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞 (𝟓) 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐆𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 (𝟑) 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞’𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐫𝐦𝐲 𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐲 (𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐍) 𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐰𝐨 (𝟐) 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚 𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐬.  The PCG also spotted more than 20 Filipino fishing boats operating near the shoal, alongside yellow buoys installed by China last year. Meanwhile, Rear Admiral Tarriela assured that the 𝐏𝐂𝐆 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲'𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐭𝐲, 𝐬𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚. #WestPhilippineSea #WPSTransparency #PhilippineCoastGuard #ChineseHarassment #BajoDeMasinloc

PCG DEPLOYS VESSELS AND AIRCRAFT TO BAJO DE MASINLOC IN RESPONSE TO CHINESE HARASSMENT Following reports of harassment by Chinese Coast Guard vessels and the Chinese Maritime Militia against Filipino fishermen on March 17, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), in close coordination

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐍 𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐒 𝐒𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐒 𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐀 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐀 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌𝐒 The 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐬 (𝐃𝐅𝐀) issued a strong statement condemning China’s handling of the 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚 𝐈𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞, specifically the 𝐁𝐚𝐣𝐨 𝐃𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐜 and 𝐊𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩, stressing that claims must follow international law, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 announcements or social media posts. On Monday 16 March 2026, the DFA called China’s avoidance of legal scrutiny “𝐚 𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧,” noting that a country confident in its position would submit to international adjudication. The DFA also stressed that the Philippines sovereignty is 𝐧𝐨𝐧-𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 and its 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞 is 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞, reaffirming the state’s firm stance in defending its maritime rights in the 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚 𝐈𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞. #WestPhilippineSea #WPSTransparencyInitiatives #DepartmentOfForeignAffairs #PHStrong&Firm #GuidedByRuling

The 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐆𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝 – 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 (𝐏𝐂𝐆-𝐖𝐏𝐒𝐓𝐆) extends its warmest congratulations to the 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚 (𝐍𝐓𝐅-𝐖𝐏𝐒) on its 𝟏𝟎𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 . For a decade, the 𝐍𝐓𝐅-𝐖𝐏𝐒 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲, 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, and 𝐮𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬’ 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚. Its efforts have greatly contributed to raising public awareness and reinforcing our nation’s commitment to a rules-based maritime order. As we celebrate this milestone, we recognize the dedication and service of all those behind NTF-WPS. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐬. The 𝐏𝐂𝐆-𝐖𝐏𝐒𝐓𝐆 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐍𝐓𝐅-𝐖𝐏𝐒 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧. We will continue our advocacy for the West Philippine Sea—standing firm in protecting our sovereignty and advancing the truth for the Filipino people. #NTFWPS #WestPhilippineSea #NationalTaskForce

𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐖𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐁𝐎𝐀𝐓𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐆𝐋𝐎𝐁𝐀𝐋 𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 The 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 is simply an effort to counter disinformation and provide clear evidence of events unfolding in the region. Filipino fishermen are said to be the center of these initiatives in the West Philippine Sea. Aside from the tensions involving the Chinese and Philippine Coast Guard, these 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐭𝐬 have witnessed what the Philippines describes as China’s bullying actions in the area. These experiences help prompt the government to 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐚, particularly what these fisherfolk are facing. According to 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐀𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐉𝐚𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐚, the Philippines is a small country and does not know what the next chapter of the transparency campaign will be, but through 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐤, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 toward upholding regional stability. #WestPhilippineSea #WPSTransparencyInitiative #StrongPH #FilipinoFisherfolks #PhSovereignty

Six years ago today, I completed my PhD at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo, Japan. I will forever be grateful to the Japanese Government, the @jica_direct_en Japan International Cooperation Agency, and @GRIPS_English for the doctoral education I received in 2021. My doctoral studies equipped me to become one of the most vocal and consistent voices exposing Chinese aggression and unlawful actions in the West Philippine Sea. More than just a title, my PhD has profoundly shaped who I am—instilling in me a deep appreciation for international law, diplomacy, and a clear-eyed realist understanding of the international relations.

𝐏𝐇 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐁𝐘 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐋𝐀𝐖 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐏𝐒 𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐔𝐄 The 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚 𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐚𝐰, while China asserts historical rights through its nine- or ten-dash line. According to 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐀𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐉𝐚𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐚, 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐚𝐰 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐞. Rear Admiral Tarriela stressed that the 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟔 𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚, where he added that 𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝, noting that repeatedly arguing claims already settled by the tribunal may prevent both sides from reaching a common understanding. #WestPhilippineSea #WestPhilippineSeaTransparency #YouthForWPS #PhilippineCoastGuard

𝐈𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐘 𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐈𝐒 “𝐒𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐃”, 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐃 𝐆𝐔𝐘? Scripted or not, the aggression continues. 𝐈𝐟 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬’ 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧? These statements by Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela speak to a reality far beyond rhetoric. He stressed the weight of his questions, asking why China continues to act aggressively in the West Philippine Sea if it already claims that the Transparency Initiatives are “scripted.” And added that these are just 𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭’𝐬 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬. #WestPhilippineSea #WPSTransparencyInitiatives #PHStrong #NationalSovereignty #PHMaritimeSecurity

STATEMENT OF THE DFA SPOKESPERSON FOR MARITIME AFFAIRS ON THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE PHL OVER BDM 16 March 2026 In response to the Chinese Embassy’s erroneous and misleading statement issued on Saturday, 14 March 2026, the Department of Foreign Affairs firmly underscores the

𝐃𝐄𝐅𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐀, 𝐀 𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐃𝐔𝐓𝐘 - 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐀𝐃𝐌𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐋𝐀 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐀𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐉𝐚𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐚 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚, stressing that the campaign 𝐠𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐦 and the Filipino people’s commitment to protecting national interests. Rear Admiral Tarriela emphasized that the 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲’𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐭𝐲, 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧. #WestPhilippineSea #WPSTransparency #PhilippineCoastGuard #DefendPH

𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐎𝐒 𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑 𝐖𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐀 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐘 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐒𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐓 𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐍 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐈𝐓 A nationwide survey by 𝐏𝐮𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐀𝐬𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐈𝐧𝐜. shows 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 in exposing China’s actions in the West Philippine Sea and for inviting 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐝 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩 to attend the 2026 ASEAN Summit in the Philippines. The survey, conducted 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟕 𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟐, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 among 1,200 respondents, found that 59% of Filipinos want President Trump to visit the Philippines to attend the regional summit that will be chaired by President Marcos. Other 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 include President Vladimir Putin (10%), President Sanae Takaichi (9%), President Anthony Albanese (6%), President Lee Jae-myung (4%), and President Xi Jinping (3%). The poll also found 68% of respondents support continuing public disclosure of China’s harassment of Philippine vessels, even while the country hosts regional meetings. In addition, Filipinos identified their 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 in the West Philippine Sea, with the United States (70%), Japan (46%), Australia (37%), Canada (26%), and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (24%). #WestPhilippineSea #WPSTransparencyInitiatives #PulseAsiaSurvey #FilipinosHaveSpoken #TransparencyTrust

RT @jaytaryela: The PRC’s attempt to present this 1990 letter as proof of Philippine concession over Scarborough Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc) i…

The majority of Filipinos recognize the critical importance of continuing to expose China’s illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions in the West Philippine Sea—actions directed against Philippine government vessels and our ordinary Filipino fishermen—especially as we host ASEAN. I firmly argue that this exposure must persist. There can be no meaningful dialogue or genuine negotiation if we remain silent while bullies continue to dominate and intimidate us in our own waters. Transparency is not provocation—it is the most effective tool for shining a light on aggressive bullies. Our objective is to unite the region in defending our collective legitimate rights and to ensure that the maritime order is governed by international law and rules-based principles, not by whoever happens to be the strongest. Our country will keep standing firm in upholding what is rightfully ours. 🇵🇭

Mr. Guo Wei should not presume that I am akin to him, attributing his wolf-warrior diplomacy solely to his own initiative, while the Chinese Ambassador feigns ignorance and adopts a facade of amiable diplomacy. Are you not getting tired of being the Ambassador's stand-in, soaking up all the anger from the Filipinos while he plays the good guy and schmoozes with different government agencies? Anyway, Mr. Guo you must recognize that the transparency initiative is not attributable to me alone; indeed, as affirmed by National Security Adviser Eduardo Año, it forms the cornerstone of the Philippine strategy in countering China's aggressive and unlawful actions in the West Philippine Sea. First, China's assertion of "indisputable sovereignty" over the entire South China Sea and surrounding waters relies on selective historical interpretations that overlook established international law. The Philippines' activities in the West Philippine Sea is consistent with UNCLOS, and the root of the tension stems from China's expansive claims and militarization efforts. Second, citing a 1990 correspondence from a Philippine diplomat that we cannot even verify if its an authentic to a private individual is contextually a limited and doubtful reference that does not override subsequent Philippine legislation or international determinations. Bajo de Masinloc lies within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, as affirmed by UNCLOS. One must question the validity of China's nine-dash line under similar factual examination. Third, dismissing the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling as "illegal" ignores its basis in international law and UNCLOS provisions. China's non-participation does not invalidate the tribunal's jurisdiction or findings, which are recognized globally. Attempts to discredit the award fail to address the substantive legal merits. I will repeat the 2016 Arbitral Award is FINAL and LEGALLY BINDING and it invalidated the PRC’s nine dash LIE claim. Fourth, claims of abusing transparency are misplaced. Our documentation of incidents involving water cannons, ramming, and lasers serves to inform the international community factually, rather than fabricate confrontations. If such transparency draws attention, it underscores the need for China to cease provocative behaviors. Fifth, while bilateral dialogues have resumed and commitments to regional peace have been expressed, these efforts must not entail concessions to coercion. Assertions of "groundless attacks" mischaracterize our defense of sovereign rights. Such rhetoric undermines constructive diplomacy; PRC must focus on verifiable facts over distortion. Lastly, you are starting to sound like a broken record, endlessly repeating your self-serving unilateral declarations and absurd lies to justify your overreaching claims across the entire South China Sea. Just a reminder: no amount of falsehoods will ever alter the facts or twist international law to your will. By the way, it seems your trolls are once again paid to spread your misleading narratives.

I stand with the statements of our patriotic Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro. I admire his patriotism and resolute stance in firmly countering China’s illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions in the West Philippine Sea. His consistent defense of our sovereignty,

𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐌 𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐋𝐀 𝐌𝐔𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐈𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐆 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐀𝐍 𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐀 𝐖𝐏𝐒 Muling iginiit ni 𝐏𝐂𝐆 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚, 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐀𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐉𝐚𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐚, na ang West Philippine Sea ay pag-aari ng Pilipinas at 𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢 𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐚 “𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐝.” Ayon kay Rear Admiral Tarriela, 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐲𝐚𝐤 𝐧𝐚 𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢 𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚 𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠 “𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐬𝐚𝐭,” 𝐤𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢 𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐨 upang ipagtanggol ang teritoryong ipinaglaban ng mga bayani para sa kalayaan ng bansa. Binigyang-diin din niya ang pahayag ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sa 2024 State of the Nation Address (SONA) na 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚 𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢 𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠-𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐩 𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐠. Sinabi rin nito na may matibay na batayan ang paninindigan ng Pilipinas, kabilang ang 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐰 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚, 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟔 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐒𝐞𝐚 𝐀𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝, 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐙𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐜𝐭. Aniya, ang malinaw na paggiit na ang West Philippine Sea ay pag-aari ng Pilipinas ay pagpapakita ng responsibilidad ng bawat Pilipino na pangalagaan at ipaglaban ang soberanya ng bansa para sa kasalukuyan at sa susunod pang mga salinlahi. #WestPhilippineSea #WPSTransparency #PhilippineCoastGuard

🌊 Calling All Filipino Artists, LGUs, Students, Civil Societies, and Communities!🎨 Join the West Philippine Sea Mural Festival and turn blank walls into vibrant masterpieces that celebrate our rights, seas, heritage, and future! Share the stories of the West Philippine Sea and ignite inspiration across the nation. 🇵🇭 📩 Register & Submit Your Entry Now: [Click Here to Submit](docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAI…) What to Include: - High-res photos of your completed mural (wide & detail shots) - Wall location & dimensions - Photo of the site - Mural title & description - Artist/group profile - Property owner/LGU permission (if needed) Deadline: April 10, 2026 From nationwide entries, 100 murals will be selected for ₱30,000 each + a shot at the ₱1,000,000 Grand Prize! Finalists: Submit a 2ft x 3ft canvas version for exhibition. Kulayan. Karagatan. Kalayaan. #KulayanKaragatanKalayaan #WPSMuralFestival #AtinAngWestPhilippineSea #ArtForWPS #ArtistsForTheSeas