Senator Risa Hontiveros on Friday slammed China's remarks that the Philippines is "stirring up trouble" and undermining regional peace and stability in the South China Sea following the conduct of joint maritime patrols with the United States.
"I've been calling for continuous and more joint air and sea patrols between the Philippines not just the US, our traditional ally, but more and newer allies in the growing coalition that supports the Philippines, supports our arbitral award, joins with us in upholding the rule of law at sea," Hontiveros said in a television interview.
She lamented it was China that created trouble by harassing Philippine vessels in the country's territorial waters, citing many incidents of "Chinese vessel gaslighting, water cannoning and even ramming" Filipino ships in the WPS over the past months.
"It has always been China who stirs up trouble in the West Philippine Sea, not the Philippines. Our country should be free to patrol our waters with whomever we choose, whenever we want. This is our right as a sovereign nation" she said.
The senator also cited China's creation of artificial islands within the Philippine exclusive economic zone.
"Who are dredging our Philippine seabed to create artificial islands within our exclusive economic zone, militarize them, and then use them to claim that our territory is theirs? Who's stirring up trouble? Who's harassing our vessels and preventing them from resupplying our people on the BRP Sierra Madre? It's not us, so to now accuse us of what they're doing, that's like double gaslighting right there," she said.
Hontiveros reiterated her call for multilateralism in foreign relations.
She said she would also welcome the Philippines' conduct of joint maritime exercises with the country's neighbors in Southeast Asia, as well as with Japan, Australia, India and "other naval powers that are committed to a rules-based order in the WPS and the entire South China Sea."
"China, however, wants to stop us from engaging with our allies because she knows she cannot prevail against a coalition. If she has a problem with our presence in our own waters, she is more than welcome to leave," she said.
Hontiveros stressed the need for the Philippines to join a bigger coalition that upholds freedom of navigation in the SCS.
"A bigger coalition is a better coalition and that coalition upholds freedom of navigation as well, so the more joint sea and air patrols with more countries, the better," she said.