United States Vice President Kamala Harris finally arrived in Palawan on Tuesday, Nov. 22, making her the highest-ranking US government official to visit the province that is at the center of territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Harris arrived at the Puerto Princesa Port around 2 p.m. and she was welcomed by top ranking officials of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) led by Vice Adm. Rolando Punzalan Jr., deputy commandant for operations; Capt. Christopher Meniado, commander of Coast Guard District Palawan; and Commander Erwin Tolentino, skipper of BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701).

After the arrival ceremony, Harris was escorted to BRP Teresa Magbanua, one of the two newest and largest multi-role response vessels in the PCG’s fleet. There, she was toured in the bridge of BRP Teresa Magbanua where she was shown the vessel’s monitoring system that is used to keep watch of Filipino fishermen and sailors within the vast waters of the Philippines.

She was also given a briefing on the current maritime operations of the PCG in Palawan.

“The United States is proud of our long-standing ties with the people of the Philippines. I am here in Palawan to underscore the importance of our partnership in order to create economic opportunities, protect coastal ecosystems, maintain peace and stability, and uphold international rules and norms here in the South China Sea and around the world,” Harris said in a speech onboard BRP Teresa Magbanua.

Harris also visited Barangay Tagburos in Palawan where she interacted with the fisherfolk community.

“The fisheries of Palawan not only provide food for residents but serves as the economic lifeblood of this island,” she emphasized.

Days before Harris visit, however, the China Coast Guard (CCG) and Philippine Navy (PN) were involved in a maritime incident after a CCG vessel blocked the path of a PN rubber boat to forcibly seize a metal debris that was supposed to be towed to Pagasa Island in Kalayaan, Palawan.

Harris believes that the vitality of fisherfolk communities like Barangay Tagburos “is at risk" for reasons like these.

“Communities like these have seen the consequences and people here know the impacts when foreign vessels enter Philippine waters and illegally deplete the fishing stock, when they harass and intimidate local fishers, when they pollute the ocean, and destroy the marine ecosystem,” she said.

The US official called on the national government and all other stakeholders to uphold international rules in the South China Sea to ensure the survivability of the people of Palawan.

Particularly, Harris maintained that the US government supports the 2016 ruling of the United Nations Arbitral Tribunal which delivered a unanimous and final decision that rejected China’s sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea in favor of the Philippines’ protest.

“This is how I see it: to protect the economic vitality of these communities, to protect the ecosystems they rely on, and to protect lives and livelihoods, we must uphold international rules and norms, and that is why our work here is so very important,” Harris said.

“We must stand up for principles such us respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, unimpeded lawful commerce, the peaceful resolution of disputes, and the freedom of navigation, and overflying in the South China Sea and throughout the Indo-Pacific,” she added.

“The tribunal’s decision is legally binding and must be respected. We will continue to rally our allies and partners against unlawful and irresponsible behavior When the international rules-based order is threatened somewhere, it is threatened everywhere,” she noted.