Marcos urged to raise harassment issue in WPS with Xi Jinping

Senator JV Ejercito on Friday said President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. should raise the harassments of Philippine ships by Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.

"Yes, I would think so because it is one of our sworn duties to protect territorial integrity and sovereignty at all cost," Ejercito said when asked in a virtual interview if it is time for Marcos to raise the harassments incidents with Xi.

Ejercito lamented that the note verbales sent by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to China in connection with past incidents of similar harassments in the WPS are "falling on deaf ears."

"Siguro panahon na ang Presidente na mismo ang dapat kumausap because it's a very unhealthy situation na in the West Philippine Sea," he said, noting that it's the fishermen who are mostly affected by these harassments.

(I think it's time for the President himself to act on this because the situation in the West Philippine Sea is already very unhealthy.)

He added that Chinese authorities' radio challenges to Philippine Coast Guard ships in the area "is already a disrespect to our sovereignty."

"They have been friendly kunwari, donating fertilizers, but the other hand is harassing our Philippine Coast Guard, our Navy men," Ejercito said.

Ejercito reiterated the need to exhaust all diplomatic means to address the issue, mentioning his support to Senator Risa Hontiveros' resolution urging the Marcos administration to ask the United Nations General Assembly to call out China's aggression in the WPS.

Further, Ejercito said the Philippines must forge alliances with countries in the Indo-Pacific Region, as well as countries with the same position against China’s aggression in the South China Sea.

Meanwhile, Hontiveros called out China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin for claiming that PCG vessels intruded into the waters of Ren’ai Reef, which he said is part of China’s Nansha Island.

"Beijing’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson should stop with the lies, gaslighting, and propaganda," Hontiveros said in a statement. "He is not helping his country on the world stage by insisting on these sweeping and baseless claims."

"The commotion happened on Ayungin Shoal; not Renai Reef, not Nansha islands, and certainly not Chinese territory," she added.

On Wednesday, the PCG reported that Chinese vessels made "dangerous maneuvers" near Philippine vessels that could have caused a collision.

United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III has also raised concern over the alleged harassment of Philippine vessels by Chinese vessels in Ayungin Shoal, calling it "coercive and risky." —KBK, GMA Integrated News