Holding the line

Philippine Coast Guard Spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela recently delivered a lecture to future diplomats and changemakers on the ongoing maritime challenges surrounding the WPS, its implications for national security and the importance of asserting the country’s sovereign rights in the region.

Dubbed Directing the Tides: The Philippines, the West Philippine Sea and its Impact on National Security, the eventwas part of the SDG Dialogue Series spearheaded by the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde School of Diplomacy and Governance.

“At the School of Diplomacy and Governance, we hold that national security is most sustainable when diplomacy and defense work hand-in-hand, when rule of law guides state behavior and when public trust is built through honesty and accountability,” Benilde SDG Dean Dr. Gary Ador Dionisio shared in his opening remarks. 

“Forums such as this are part of a broader effort to bridge policy, practice and public understanding,” Dionisio added.

In Tarriela’s talk, he emphasized the significance of educating the youth on the territorial issue in the WPS for it is deemed along-term struggle that will be inherited by future generations of Filipinos. 

“Our fight in the West Philippine Sea is intergenerational. It is not something that will go away. The Philippine Coast Guard in the next coming years will not be able to solve our problem,” he reiterated. “What we are doing right now is we are currently holding the line for the next generations to continue.”

Tarriela’s discussion likewise delved into how the past Philippine presidents handled the situation, as well as the challenge to the current administration to reframe public perception and put an end to the fear-based narrative instilled in the people. 

He reiterated former President Benigno Aquino III’s legalist approach to the matter, “We filed a case at the Arbitral court, challenging the sweeping, ambitious and illegal claim of the People’s Republic of China. He believes that the power of international law equalizes all nations.”

On the other hand, he remarked that the Duterte administration failed to leverage on the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea and called out the fear-mongering rhetoric of possibly provoking the Asian powerhouse into war over territorialdisputes.

Backed by reports of Chinese aggression in the WPS, Tarriela criticized the national government during Duterte’s tenure for downplaying these events. Along with limited information and a lack of awareness, he noted that this was the reason why fake news and misinformation were prevalent at that time to the advantage of the PRC.

Tarriela spoke of an incident in February 2023 when crew members of PCG’s BRP MALAPASCUA experienced temporary blindness after being targeted by the military-grade laser of a Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel. According to him, this marked the birth of the transparency efforts of the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS), whose first aim is to promote awareness among Filipinos.

“You need to have the right information,” he claimed. “In the absence of such information, we cannot awaken the sense of patriotism of any single soul here in the country.”

Tarriela also highlighted the necessity to encourage other countries to act collectively in making China accountable and deterring its provocation and unlawful activities in the WPS. 

“The second objective is to make the international community understand that in this part of the world, it is the People’s Republic of China that violates the international law and they are also endangering the peace that we are currently enjoying right now.”

Despite all the transparency efforts of NTF-WPS, Tarriela said that they still face obstacles in leading the factual narrative.

“They always say that the Philippines is the one that escalates the tension, the one that provokes the Chinese Coast Guard,” he noted. “Imagine a Toyota Wigo na nakikipagsabayan sa isang16-wheeler truck. Can you think of somebody who has a rational mind na magda-drive ng Wigo at gigitgitin ang 16-wheeler truck?”

Before the end of the event, Tarriela addressed the questions of the audience on fostering a well-informed youth, countermeasures in defeating misinformation and the possibility of using tourism as a political statement. 

 Also present during the lecture was former Philippine Ambassador to Egypt Sulpicio Confiado, who stressed that the WPS conflict transcends the legal and political implications. For him, the PCG has proven that standing up to China is not just the Filipinos’ constitutional duty but a moral responsibility as well.

“It may look like a David and Goliath encounter, but we know that together as a people, we can overcome the odds,” Confiado stated. “Quoting Commodore Tarriela in a 2025 Congressional Hearing, ang laban natin sa West Philippine Sea ay laban natinglahat bilang mga Pilipino.”