By Tracy Cabrera
WHILE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson Commodore Jay Tristan Tarriela has been lambasted of late by some lawmakers for his biting remarks against China and its embassy officials here in Manila, the PCG official gained support from several civic groups who expressed agreement in having a firm stand in defending Philippine sovereignty.
Cause-oriented groups 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), described the current situation on the issue of the country’s territorial rights in the West Philippine Sea as becoming a moment that calls for clarity and not confusion.
According to the groups’ chairman emeritus. Dr. Jose Antonio ‘Ka Peps’ Goitia, as claims about the West Philippine Sea gain traction online, it is important for Filipinos to be vigilant against narratives that misrepresent the law and weaken national resolve even as assertions circulating in social media, including those by blogger Sass Rogando Sasot, should be examined carefully, particularly when they cast doubt on the country’s lawful exercise of sovereignty.
“When baseless doubt is normalized, prudence gives way to surrender,” Goitia enthused to assert that the legal framework governing the West Philippine Sea is already settled with the West Philippine Sea (WPS) tagged as a geographic designation and our country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as a legal maritime zone under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
He spelled out that the Philippines has never confused the legal framework with geographic designation as the country’s position has never depended on doing so: “Complexity should not be used to obscure what is already clear because Filipinos deserve clarity (and) not manufactured doubt.”
The civic leader added that international treaties do not, by implication, erase Philippine laws and no act of Congress has ever repealed Presidential Decree No. 1596 nor any decision by the Supreme Court invalidated it—
claims to the contrary mislead the public about how the law actually works. Corollary to this, Goitia also asserted that
the Philippine government’s position on Ayungin Shoal has always been lawful and consistent: “
It is defended not as land territory but as part of (our) country’s exclusive economic zone (and) under international law, the EEZ grants the Philippines sovereign rights to enforce laws, protect resources, and maintain a presence, as affirmed by the 2016 arbitral ruling.
“You do not need to own land to defend what is lawfully yours at sea. That is precisely why UNCLOS exists,” he pointed out to distinguish that the continued presence of the (scuttled) BRP Sierra Madre on the shoal is justified and claims suggesting otherwise confuse territorial sovereignty with maritime rights and risk misleading the public. Furthermore, the civic leader emphasized that t
he Philippine government did not weaken its position by choosing arbitration as it only exercised discipline by pursuing the legal path where the law was strongest and where international courts had jurisdiction.
“We chose principle over posturing and the law responded by rejecting claims that had no legal foundation,” he stressed to explain that the move was not hesitation but was in fact sound statecraft, anchored in long-term national interest. In the meantime, Goitia cautioned that public debate may be a strength of democracy, but when doubt is repeated often enough, it can begin to sound like truth. Apparently, he was referring to some members of the Senate, like neophyte Rodante Marcoleta and veteran Alan Peter Cayetano, who appear to favor the allegations of China and its embassy officials led by Ambassador Jing Quan.
“A nation that begins to doubt its own rights does the work of its challengers for them,” he warned while underscoring that
“UNCLOS did not weaken our (country’s) claims but instead gave them legal clarity even as the arbitral ruling settled the matter.” In ending, Goitia issued a call for vigilance to cite that Filipinos must weigh claims carefully, especially pro-China narratives circulating online that seek to normalize doubt and undermine confidence in the country’s lawful maritime rights.
“The Philippines has not surrendered its sovereignty. It has not retreated from its legal position and it stands firm where the law (also) stands, where it must remain there,” he declared to conclude.
