05/02/2025
Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela criticized SAGIP Party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta for claiming that there is no such thing as βWest Philippine Sea (WPS) and just a fabrication.
Tarriela reaffirmed that the WPS is real and belongs to the Philippines.
He called Marcoletaβs statement βa disserviceβ to the nation and a betrayal of efforts to defend the countryβs maritime rights.
βHow can one face the younger generations today and tell them that our Exclusive Economic Zone to the west of our archipelago is nonexistent, effectively giving up the fight to assert their rights as Filipinos in the West Philippine Sea?β Tarriela wrote on X.
Marcoleta, who is running for senator in this year's elections, argued that the West Philippine Sea is merely a creation of the Philippine government and does not exist on official maps.
He insisted that the area in question is part of the country's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
βThe complications of the West Philippine Sea [have] not been explained to our people, kaya po nagiging vulnerable tayong lahat,β Marcoleta said.
