So though there are many things I would have done differently, I submit to God’s sovereignty and His purpose in my life and I thank Him that He brought me the way He brought me and gave me what He gave me when He thought I could handle it.
— American evangelical pastor Thomas Dexter Jakes Sr.
THE recent back-and-forth arguments between Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela and the Chinese Embassy in Manila is more than a mere disagreement over words because at its core is a challenge to our country’s commitment to transparency in the West Philippine Sea.
In truth, the Chinese tirade is an attempt to silence the truth.
According to patriotic groups led by civic leader Dr. Jose Antonio Goitia, “what our coast guard is presenting are records, not rhetoric and apparently, China is blind to the fact that “facts don’t become hostile just because they are inconvenient.”
Commodore Tarriela’s statements were grounded in official documents, photographs and clear narratives of what is truly happening at sea. These are not speculations or provocations, but facts.
Goitia cited that transparency is not the whim of a single spokesperson but a deliberate and coordinated policy of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr.’s administration that is intended to ensure the public knows the real situation—unfiltered and unvarnished. He said: “To demand silence from one official is to ignore the policy behind him. This is not an individual’s position; it is our government’s official stance.” But China has abandoned diplomatic norms, escalating its action from embassy warnings to direct threats from its Foreign Ministry.
The declaration that our Philippine Coast Guard and government officials must “stop provocations or pay the price” is not diplomacy but outright coercion broadcasted before the international community.
Such statements are unacceptable because they blatantly violate the standards of international law and respectful state relations. As the chairman emeritus of Alyansa ng Bantay sa Kapayapaan at Demokrasya (ABKD), People’s Alliance for Democracy and Reforms (PADER), Liga Independencia Pilipinas (LIPI) and the Filipinos Do Not Yield Movement (FDNY) observes, “China’s rhetoric reveals not strength but fear of accountability.”
“When diplomacy loses restraint, it becomes coercion. Threats betray anxiety in the face of truth. Intimidation cannot erase facts or diminish the Philippines’ resolve. Instead, these actions expose China’s desperation to avoid scrutiny. The Philippines stands firm in truth and law, and calls on the global community to denounce and reject such tactics, which have no place between sovereign nations,” he pointed out.
And the issue now sits firmly at the institutional level.
Senator Risa Hontiveros has called on the Department of Foreign Affairs to address China’s aggressive conduct, invoking the obligations of foreign missions under the Vienna Convention.
“This is where the issue belongs. States speak to states. Public servants should not be targeted or threatened for lawfully doing their duty,” Goitia stressed as he cited that the Philippine Coast Guard acted within its mandate and Commodore Tarriela spoke with rightful authority.
“So, now the state must defend its institutions and those who serve with integrity,” he pointed out.
Accordingly, the chairman emeritus emphasized: “Our republic endures not by fleeing from the truth, but by standing firmly for it.”
For him, the message is clear—transparency is a mark of strength, not defiance; true diplomacy demands honesty, not silence; and the Philippines will never yield its rights, its truth or its sovereign duty in the face of China’s threats or intimidation—whether in our own waters or before the world.
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