The international community rallying behind the Philippines is crucial in resolving its maritime dispute with China in the West Philippine Sea, according to the Philippine Coast Guard on Wednesday. 

PCG spokesperson for the WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela, in a press conference, said the government is currently utilizing a transparency approach in addressing WPS issues. 

With this effort, the Philippines aims to inform the international community about the evolving aggression of the Chinese Coast Guard in the WPS. 

“We know for a fact that more countries now are engaging with our country, criticizing and condemning the provocative actions of China. And also expressing their commitment to the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and to deepening the defense cooperation that we have,” Tarriela said. 

He said the transparency strategy efforts also keep the Filipinos in the loop about the situation in the WPS. 

“Whatever strategy you choose, China would still choose to do provocative actions in the WPS,” he added. 

In the recent harassment incident, Tarriela lamented the PCG personnel “are making so much effort to prevent the collision” in the area. 

“And the CCG personnel are just standing there and taking a video. So, it means, perhaps, that it was deliberate on their part,” he said.

In the series of harassment incidents, CCG is seen to be deliberately trying to cripple Philippine vessels in its attempt to prevent the country’s resupply missions. 

“One thing for certain, for the past so many months, we have already been warning the CCG that they need to abide by the Collision Regulations (COLREG) and also to adhere to all of these provisions to prevent such accidents from happening. And unfortunately, they have still been doing dangerous maneuvers, blocking operations, which resulted in this kind of accident,” Tarriela said.