The issue on the West Philippine Sea (WPS) is proving to be a defining factor in the upcoming May 12 midterm elections as the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) urged voters to elect candidates who would fight for them and the country’s rights in the disputed waters.
Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for WPS, said the elections would be a crucial one as this would be the first poll where a majority of the Filipinos have a better understanding of what is at stake in the WPS.
“For so many elections that passed, the West Philippine Sea did not become our concern. This is the only time that we are going to have a national election – midterm – that the awareness of the Filipinos on West Philippine Sea is really high,” he said during a media forum on Saturday, Feb. 22.
While the coast guard commodore clarified that he wasn’t endorsing any candidate, he emphasized that the public should discern who among those who are running would support the government’s current campaign to assert the country’s sovereign rights and territorial integrity in the WPS.
“We already know how we are being bullied by China. We know that many Filipino fishermen still find it hard to venture there [WPS] because of harassment. So if we are going to elect senators, congressmen, or even local government executives, let us make sure that no one will be elected because they are pro-China, or because they are not pro-Philippines, or they do not care for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine Coast Guard, and ordinary fishermen,” Tarriela said.
The PCG official, a vocal critic of China’s illegal activities in the WPS, cited the probabilities if candidates who do not support the country’s rights in the WPS get elected in May.
He said it would be “very hard” for the AFP and PCG to acquire ships, aircraft, and other modern assets as part of their respective modernization programs if there are candidates who would have the power to block the said agencies' annual budget in the Senate or House of Representatives.
“It’s because for them, the West Philippine Sea is not a priority,” Tarriela said.
“Let this be a learning experience for us to make sure that those people who will be elected in May are those senators, congressmen, and local government executives who would support us and stand with President ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr.’s fight for the West Philippine Sea,” he stressed.