蜜桃工作室

Tarriela: Chinese vessels in 蜜桃工作室 increased after Duterte admin

Tarriela: Chinese vessels in 蜜桃工作室 increased after Duterte admin

Commodore Jay Tarriela, spokesperson for 蜜桃工作室 of the Philippine聽Coast聽Guard. 蜜桃工作室 file photo / Arnel Tacson

MANILA, Philippines 鈥 There have been more Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea during the administration of President Ferdinand 鈥淏ongbong鈥 Marcos Jr. compared to his predecessor, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said this is because China did not need to deploy a bigger fleet during the time of President Rodrigo Duterte.

鈥淲e can fairly say there is an increase but again this is in relation with our response of transparency telling the world about their kind of harassment,鈥 Tarriela said over ANC interview when asked if there were more Chinese vessels during Marcos time compared to Duterte鈥檚.

Tarriela did not further elaborate as to the number of vessels compared from Duterte to Marcos鈥 administration.

However, he noted that the 鈥渓evel of provocation鈥 remains the same.

鈥淭he only difference is that they don鈥檛 need to send more vessels because in the first place we have already folded, they have already told the Filipino people that we cannot do anything about it,鈥 Tarriela said of Duterte鈥檚 administration.

READ: Teodoro seeks accountability in 鈥榞entlemen鈥檚 agreement鈥 on 蜜桃工作室

鈥淏ut for our President who chose to publicize and expose these kinds of illegal actions, they need to flex more muscle for them to threaten us and that鈥檚 the reason and the explanation why China has more vessel deployment now in the West Philippine Sea compared with the previous administration,鈥 he continued.

Duterte聽pivoted聽to China but President Ferdinand 鈥淏ongbong鈥 Marcos Jr. reversed this move.

READ: 鈥楻emoval of PH ship, BDM reclamation a red line China shouldn鈥檛 cross鈥

Marcos green lighted joint patrols and military exercises with the United States in the West Philippine Sea and allowed Washington聽access聽to four more Philippine military bases under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement which earned the ire of China.

Beijing asserts sovereignty in the entire South聽China聽Sea, including most of the West Philippine Sea, even if聽such a聽claim聽has been effectively invalidated by a July 2016 international tribunal ruling that stemmed from a case filed by Manila in 2013.

MOST READ
LATEST STORIES
Read more...