Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Spokesperson on West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay T. Tarriela (right) and Philippine Information Agency Director-General Jose A. Torres, Jr. jointly hold media conference to address issues surrounding the country’s fight for the territorial integrity of the West Philippine Sea. (Photo by PIA-NCR)
QUEZON CITY, (PIA) — More Filipinos are getting involved in advocating for the West Philippine Sea (WPS), the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) announced Wednesday.
Both agencies are working together on a comprehensive campaign to unite Filipinos behind the WPS cause. This includes transparent information dissemination about the maritime zone.
PCG Spokesperson on West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay T. Tarriela emphasized the importance of information as a tool to deter China’s illegal reclamation activities in the WPS.
“We don’t intend to militarize the issue,” Tarriela stressed. “We don’t want to provoke or escalate tension. We need to maintain professionalism in dealing with China’s bullying tactics. We don’t see a war scenario here.”
Transparency is key to the strategy, according to Tarriela. The National Task Force-West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) wants to keep the public informed about the challenges, struggles, and circumstances in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
“For President Marcos to fulfill his promise of not surrendering a square inch of our territory, he has to unite the Filipino people,” Tarriela added.
This effort is already underway with the deployment of the civilian-led “Atin Ito” (It’s Ours) coalition to Bajo de Masinloc, Zambales. The group is assisting with resupply missions for Filipino fisherfolk communities in the WPS.
The strategy also aims to rally international support for a rules-based order in the WPS, specifically upholding the 2016 Hague tribunal ruling.
The PCG plans to deploy additional vessels to Bajo de Masinloc to ensure the safety of forces and volunteers in case of incidents with China’s maritime militia.
For his part, PIA Director-General Jose A. Torres Jr. pledged to use all of his agency’s communication channels nationwide to deliver timely and accurate information, especially to those in grassroots communities.
“The Philippine Information Agency continues to help explain the issues facing our government, including those concerning our security sector,” Torres said in Filipino.
The PIA aims to counter misinformation and disinformation surrounding the Philippines’ position on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the West Philippine Sea. They will leverage both social and traditional media platforms.
The PIA, in coordination with the NTF-WPS, is conducting strategic communication workshops to further amplify the transparency strategy. These workshops, which began in February, have engaged regional directors across the country.
Through this whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, the NTF-WPS hopes to empower Filipinos to counter threats to the country’s territorial sovereignty. (PIA-NCR)
