DAGUPAN CITY (PIA) – The Natonal Task Force on West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) is urging Filipinos to be vigilant against the spread of misinformation on social media concerning the West Philippine Sea.
Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard, spokesperson of NTF-WPS, emphasized the importance of national unity in safeguarding the Philippines' claim to the territory.
He encouraged Filipinos to leverage social media responsibly by fact-checking and correcting false information.
“This issue is not only for Filipinos in Region 1, nor in Palawan, nor for the fishermen fishing in the West Philippine Sea. The West Philippine Sea is part of the Philippines, so it is everybody’s duty to fight for it regardless of where they are from,” Tarriela declared during the Philippine Information Agency's (PIA) Pantongtongan Tayo (Pag-usapan Natin) virtual press conference.
Tarriela clarified that the Philippines prioritizes peaceful resolution of disputes.
“This is the main reason why we inform the public of the bullying behavior and provocative actions of the Chinese Coast Guard for the international community to be aware that this is what China is doing, to condemn China's action, and for them to be compelled to abide by international law and not compromise the established rules-based international order,” Tarriela explained.
He highlighted the importance of debunking misinformation encountered online, emphasizing its positive impact on the government's efforts against Chinese aggression.
Tarriela advised the public to verify information on the West Philippine Sea by following official government social media pages.
“The Philippine Information Agency, Philippine Coast Guard, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Department of Foreign Affairs, and even the National Security Council. These are our government agencies that disseminate correct information on the matter of the West Philippine Sea,” he said.
Tarriela cited a recent OCTA research survey revealing that seven out of 10 Filipinos or 77 percent of Filipinos are willing to defend the country in case of foreign aggression.
"We still need to convince 30 percent of our Filipinos. We should not celebrate this yet and say, we are already gaining the majority support of the Filipino people. We need 100 percent support of the Filipinos in standing up against the aggressive behavior of China in the West Philippine Sea,” he said.
Tarriela reminded the public that the fight in the West Philippine Sea is not only for the government today; it is a fight for all Filipinos for the next generation to come. (JCR/AMB/EMSA/PIA Pangasinan)
