Pinoys asked to vote for pro-WPS bets

A PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD (PCG) official on Wednesday urged voters to vote for candidates who will defend the country’s rights in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

“They need to be discerning,” PCG spokesman Commodore Jay Tristan Tarriela told reporters on the sidelines of a security forum on Thursday. “They need to make sure that the leaders they elect won’t deceive them, and that the track record of those politicians shows they are truly sincere in fighting for our rights in the West Philippine Sea.”

A Stratbase ADR Institute survey in April found that 75% of Filipinos would vote for candidates who will champion Philippine claims in the South China Sea.

Mr. Tarriela said it is time to stop appeasing China by being friendly with it, which he said happened under former President Rodrigo R. Duterte.

“His approach, some would say, was because of diplomacy,” he said. “It’s because he believes that diplomacy is the only way we can counter China’s oppression. But some security scholars are saying it’s not just diplomacy, but rather appeasement.”

The government, he added, should not let China do what it wants in the disputed waterway. — Edg Adrian A. Eva