By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
As talks about the West Philippine Sea (WPS) regain traction in mainstream media, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said that it remains open to inviting government officials to visit the Kalayaan Group of Islands.
This, on the heels of Senator Rodante Marcoleta’s invitation to Ret. Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, University of the Philippines (UP) Professor on Maritime Law Jay Batongbacal, and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Spokesperson for WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela for a friendly debate to shed new light on this timely topic.
In response to Sen. Marcoleta’s debate challenge, Ret. SC Assoc. Justice Antonio Carpio expressed readiness to participate in this forum, “Handa ako. We can debate on that. My goal is that people will be educated, everybody—there is already a definition of WPS, nasa batas na natin yan eh. So you cannot say, hindi natin alam kung saan yan.”
Kalayaan, Palawan Vice Mayor Maurice Phillip Albayda moreover said that they are ready to host the government officials on their own turf to settle the score once and for all.
“It’s not really a challenge, but an invitation. With sincerity and wholeheartedly we will let them feel how loving our constituents in Pag-asa Island are.”
Commo. Tarriela, however, said that talks on these hotly-contested waters are already backed by domestic laws and credible international recognition—leaving no room for further debates.
“It is a matter of settled law, national interest, and patriotic duty. The basis of Philippine sovereignty and sovereign rights in the WPS—firmly established by the 2016 arbitral award, our Constitution and domestic laws—is not open for negotiation or spectacle.”
Independent of political noise, turmoil
Amid such recent developments within the halls of the Senate, an AFP official said that the Military remains unfazed and focused on its mandate to protect these territorial waters from any foreign power that wants to encroach on Philippine sovereignty and maritime resources.
In a briefing on Tuesday, AFP Spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said that military personnel will continue to conduct regular patrols and operations to assert the Southeast Asian nation’s claims amid various challenges.
“The mere fact that we wear the uniform, we swore to protect this country from all threats—domestic and foreign.”
RAdm. Trinidad further reminded the citizenry not lose sight of the real issue and the challenges that the country is facing in the WPS.
“The objective of foreign maligned influence and intervention is to divide Philippine society, to divide Philippine leaders, to cause us to debate among ourselves and to forget that the bigger issue ay yung nanghimasok sa ating exclusive economic zone (EEZ) ang People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, China Coast Guard (CCG) and the maritime militia—their illegal presence.”
His remarks are echoed in a statement from the Philippine Military Academy Alumni Association Inc., which reaffirmed the Military’s oneness with the government in the quest to assert the archipelagic nation’s ownership of the islands and features in the WPS.
The statement reads, “We stand in full support of the Philippine government, particularly the Department of National Defense, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the Philippine Coast Guard in protecting national territory and maritime rights.
We condemn actions that undermine these lawful rights and call for adherence to international law, freedom of navigation, and the peaceful resolution of disputes.”
AFP, meanwhile, strongly condemns foreign state-linked media’s propagation of false narratives citing the Kadiwa ng Bagong Bayaning Mangingisda (KBBM) initiative as a propaganda—urging the citizenry to refrain from spreading seeds of disinformation that undermine national security, public trust, and unity. (with report from Patrick de Jesus | PTV News)
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