SAGIP Rep. Rodante Marcoleta and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS), Commodore Jay Tarriela, engaged in a verbal sparring match on Tuesday after the lawmaker accused Tarriela of failing to refute social media claims that labeled him a “traitor” and pro-China.

The confrontation took place at the third hearing of the House tri-committee on the prevalence of disinformation, when Marcoleta called out Tarriela for allegedly not taking action to correct or deny false reports on social media, which claimed that the PCG spokesperson had branded him a “traitor” following his controversial remarks on the WPS.

“Why didn't you explain? You should have said that ‘Marcoleta is a traitor’ did not come from you. It is only now that you are explaining that you did not say anything like that; it was already spread on social media,” Marcoleta said in Filipino.

He added, “No matter how many times you explain here, the person has already heard that you said it.”

Marcoleta has faced backlash after claiming at an earlier hearing that “there is no such thing as the West Philippine Sea” and that the area lacks international recognition to appear on global or regional maps.

Tarriela expressed his frustration on X, calling Marcoleta’s statement a “disservice and an embarrassment to their entire party, the organization they belong to, and even their own family.”

Although Tarriela denied calling Marcoleta names, he affirmed before the panel that he did not owe the lawmaker any explanation, particularly after Marcoleta had criticized him as a “fool” and “ignorant.”

“Why would I even defend you if you're calling me ‘gago’ (a fool)?" Tarriela responded. "Mr. Chair, honorable Marcoleta, sir, I think I’m not under obligation to tell all the social media influencers or vloggers to defend your name and tell them you’re not a traitor. Again, I did not say you are a traitor. Those words did not come from me.”

“Why would I go to the extent of defending you [if] you are running for Senate? I might as well be interpreted as supporting somebody for public office,” he continued.

Marcoleta countered, stating that the issue would have been resolved if only Tarriela had disowned the statement.

"Mr. Chair, clarifying something that is wrong is not political," he asserted.

“[Whether] it is not true that he called me a traitor, it continues to be consumed by the public through social media. I think it is his responsibility to deny it if it did not come from him. That is all I was asking, and I think this is not too big for him to do,” the veteran lawmaker pointed out.

Marcoleta, who is vying for a Senate seat under PDP-Laban, lamented that the false claims may negatively impact his election bid. He also expressed frustration over being branded as pro-China and financially supported by Beijing.

According to Marcoleta, his statement was taken out of context, claiming his only intention was to inform people that the WPS is not yet registered with the International Hydrographic Organization, the global body that officially names sea areas.

“Since it’s not yet registered, countries in Europe would need to search this on YouTube first before they can see the West Philippine Sea’s location. Anyone who Googles that particular area can only read the South China Sea (SCS) label,” he said.

“But it doesn’t mean that the South China Sea is solely owned by China — in the same manner that the Indian Ocean is not solely owned by India,” he added.

Marcoleta insisted, “We need the international community to recognize a part of our own,” to which Tarriela responded, “No sir. I will not agree that you are correct. The West Philippine Sea is in our exclusive economic zone (EEZ).”

China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, which overlaps with the West Philippine Sea, despite a 2016 arbitral ruling that deemed its sovereignty claim baseless. The ruling affirmed the Philippines' 200-nautical-mile exclusive EEZ in the WPS.

However, Chinese vessels continue to disregard the ruling by attacking Philippine resupply boats and engaging in other aggressive actions, such as military-grade laser pointing, missile deployment, and boat collusion.

The ongoing confrontations between the Philippines and China persist, despite their pact in July to de-escalate tensions in the contested waterway.