MANILA, Philippines — Philippine Coast Guard Commodore Jay Tarriela accused China of coming up with a “script” that claims both PCG patrol vessels and Filipino fishing boats disrupt Beijing’s sovereignty over the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, to justify its provocations towards Philippine forces.
“If they claim that it is a scripted scenario to organize the Filipino fishing boats, I wonder why they always fall into the plot and continue to insist on playing the villain,” said Tarriela.
Tarriela wrote the said remarks on a post in his X account on Dec. 26, when he replied to another post by Chinese state media Global Times.
The latter quoted Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defense, who said, “The Philippine side repeatedly organized its coast guard vessels and fishing boats to violate China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and undermine peace and stability in the South China Sea, while playing victim to elicit sympathy from and cause confusion in the international community.”
In his X post, Tarriela called on China to resolve issues in the West Philippine Sea by “adhering to international law rather than resorting to aggression against ordinary civilian fishermen who are simply trying to make a living within our country’s exclusive economic zone.”