The word war between Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) Commodore Jay Tarriela and the Chinese government continues as the former declared on Friday, Jan. 23, that threats from Beijing will not stop him from exposing illegal Chinese activities in the WPS.

Tarriela made the remark after China’s Foreign Ministry summoned Philippine Ambassador to Beijing Jaime FlorCruz over the caricatures depicting Chinese President Xi Jinping shown by the PCG spokesman during a recent presentation on China’s activities in the contested waters.

This earned the ire of the Chinese government which led to the filing of a “solemn representation and strong protest” against Tarriela for supposedly making “inflammatory, confrontational, misleading and baseless” remarks against China on maritime issues.

For the PCG commodore, China's summoning of Ambassador FlorCruz only proves that the transparency initiative "is working," and that China "fears an informed world more than it fears international law.” The initiative was launched by the PCG to publicize Chinese activities in the WPS.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun urged Manila to “undo the negative impact” of Tarriela’s actions and “stop tolerating the smear campaign and provocations.” He warned that failure to do so could “disrupt normal diplomatic communication or further harm bilateral relations” between the two countries.

But Tarriela dismissed China’s accusations as he argued that exposing the truth about maritime incidents is not a provocation. “Threatening a public servant for telling the truth will not intimidate us,” he said.

The PCG commodore also offered a solution to the rising tensions and said that if Beijing wants to reverse any "negative impact," it should start by respecting the 2016 arbitral award.

The landmark ruling dismissed China’s expansionist claims in the South China Sea based on its dash-line claims, including several features within the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Manila.

Tarriela added that China must withdraw from its "illegally occupied reclaimed islands" and stop the “harassment of Filipino fishermen” in the WPS.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier affirmed its support for government institutions performing their lawful duties in defense of Philippine sovereignty. However, the DFA also reiterated that differences between States are best addressed through established diplomatic channels rather than public exchanges.

Meanwhile, Chinese maritime forces increased their presence in Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough or Panatag Shoal) last year and pushed their patrols closer to the Luzon coastline, according to the results of a year-long monitoring by the PCG in the WPS.

In its annual report, the PCG said Chinese maritime forces conducted illegal patrols farther away from Bajo de Masinloc and closer to Ilocos, down to Mindoro in 2025.

The Chinese forces included the People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N), China Coast Guard (CCG), and Chinese maritime militia.

The closest approach was made by a CCG vessel which reached 23 nautical miles from the coast off Dasol, Pangasinan on April 8, 2025.

“This marks a shift from 2024, when CCG vessels primarily operated within a 10–15 nautical mile radius of Bajo de Masinloc,” Tarriela said.

According to the PCG, the expanded Chinese patrols have had a direct impact on Filipino fishermen as they were practically driven away from their usual fishing spots.

“As a direct consequence, Filipino fishermen have been displaced farther from BDM as CCG vessels have aggressively driven them toward the Luzon coast and away from their traditional fishing grounds,” Tarriela said.

In response, Tarriela said the PCG increased its operational presence in Bajo de Masinloc as their vessels spent nearly 27 days per month at sea in the vicinity of BDM.

He said this sustained presence helped to prevent the normalization of illegal CCG activities and protect Filipino fishermen in the area.