VIGAN CITY, Ilocos Sur (PIA) — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reiterated Monday, March 3, in an interview for the Ammuentayo (Alamin Natin!) teleradio program that the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and its natural resources belong to the Filipinos.

PCG spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela stressed this message on the said weekly program of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Ilocos Sur Information Center, stating particularly to residents in Ilocos, “The objective of our dear President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is for us to unite in our stand concerning the WPS; he is always saying that he will not surrender a square inch of our territory to any foreign power; because of this, we have to join him in this fight—because the West Philippine Sea and its natural resources are for the Filipinos.”

Tarriela explained, “Embrace the fact that the West Philippine Sea is not only a concern for Pangasinan or Palawan. The WPS is part of our country, and our nation fought for many long years in our history to enjoy independence and freedom.”

The WPS, as explained by the PCG spokesperson, is part of the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone, where the country has sovereign rights to conduct exploration, such as surveys and studies, and exploitation, which includes oil mining, fishing, and other uses of natural resources, as granted by the 2002 agreement or the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties made with the People’s Republic of China and the Southeast Asian countries.

Tarriela also urged the Filipinos to do their patriotic duty to share the right information every time they encounter reliable news or legitimate information on the WPS.

He said, “Share it with your classmates, friends, neighbors, and officemates for them to be aware of what is really happening."

The government’s objective here, the spokesperson said, is for every Filipino to be equipped with the correct information and unite as one nation regardless of their political inclinations.

He cited the existence of influencers and pro-China trolls peddling fake news on various social media platforms that proliferate narratives that are completely opposite to the publicized information from upright news entities.

“For me, it is the obligation of each one of us, not only the PCG, to call out the fake news that they disseminate through social media,” said Commodore Tarriela.

In addition, he told the public to find time to comment on misinformation and to report that these are fake in order to prevent any more Filipinos or members of the international community from getting swayed by wrong information. 

The full interview of the PIA Ilocos Sur Information Center with PCG spokesperson Tarriela in the Ammuentayo teleradio program will be aired on Monday, March 11. (JCR/MJTAB/ATV PIA Ilocos Sur)