MANILA, Philippines — Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela on Saturday condemned recent remarks by China’s Ministry of Defense, calling them “acts of intimidation and misinformation aimed at undermining the Philippines’ sovereign rights in the disputed waters.”
In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), Tarriela characterized China’s rhetoric as bullying designed to discourage Filipino fishermen from accessing the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and to pressure the government into halting its humanitarian support for local fishing communities.
“Beijing is escalating its rhetoric by instructing its defense ministry to issue warnings about using stronger countermeasures if our Filipino fishermen and Philippine Coast Guard vessels venture into the West Philippine Sea,” Tarriela said.
He criticized China’s claims as baseless, asserting that China Coast Guard’s “monster-sized vessels” are the true aggressors, targeting smaller PCG ships conducting humanitarian missions to safeguard Filipino fishermen.
Tarriela’s statement was a response to China’s Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian, who accused the Philippines of provoking tensions in the South China Sea with the support of the United States.
Wu claimed the Philippines had been “stirring up troubles” across multiple areas, including Ren’ai Jiao (Second Thomas Shoal), Xianbin Jiao (Jackson Atoll), Houteng Jiao (Whitsun Reef) and Huangyan Dao (Scarborough Shoal).