By Jose Cielito Reganit | February 18, 2025

MANILA – Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela on Tuesday denied branding Sagip Party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta a “traitor” following the lawmaker’s claim that there is no such thing as a West Philippine Sea (WPS), only the South China Sea.

The PCG official made this clarification during the hearing of the House Tri Committee when Marcoleta lamented that he was being branded a traitor by social media users because of Tariella’s statements.

On Feb. 4, Marcoleta said the term “WPS” is not present on any maps and has not yet been registered internationally.

“I did not use the word traitor in describing your statement describing that the WPS ay kathang isip lamang po (is just a figment of the imagination),” Tarriela told the lawmaker.

“Let me read my post on X: ‘I stand by the statement of President Marcos when he said ang West Philippine Sea ay hindi kathang isip natin lamang. Ito ay atin, ito ay mananatiling atin hangggang nag-aalab ang diwa ng ating minamahal na bansang Pilipinas (is not just a figment of imagination. It is ours and will remain ours as long as the spirit of our beloved country, the Philippines, continue to burn),” he said.

Tarriela said hearing someone claim that the WPS is merely a fabrication of the Philippine government is a disservice and embarrassment to that individual’s party, organization and even family.

“How can the one face the younger generations today, and tell them that our exclusive economic zone to the west of our archipelago is non-existent, effectively giving up the fight to assert their rights as Filipinos in the West Philippine Sea,” he said.

Marcoleta, however, maintained that there is not yet a WPS, because it is not yet registered with the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO).

The lawmaker also lamented that the PCG official did not make an effort to clarify the issue by denying that Tarriela did not in fact call him a traitor.

“I am in no obligation to tell all the social media influencers, to vloggers, to defend your name, tell them you are not a traitor. Again, I did not mention that you are a traitor, those words did not come from me. Why would I go to the extent of defending you, and you are running for the Senate, I might as well be interpreted as running for support of somebody running for public office,” Tarriela responded to the lawmaker, who is running for senator under the slate of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

“Why would I even defend you if you are calling me gago (fool) and mangmang (ignorant). I am a commissioned officer of the Philippine Coast Guard, being a spokesperson. As a human being, how would I defend somebody na gina-‘gago’ po ako sa isang (who called me a fool in a) public interview?” he added.

Marcoleta reiterated that he only wanted the PCG official to deny calling him a traitor.

“Just deny it. Yun lang naman ang gusto ko. It was there in the social media, mamamatay siya (it will die) if it came from you. Pero di mo sinabi (but you did not say it) and you continue to be silent, akala ng tao, sinabi mo yon (the people thought then that you said it). So, that is the problem,” he said.

“Kaya tayo nandito (that is why we are here), to correct the misconception, the misinformation, because it continues to spread,” the lawmaker added.

Marcoleta also clarified that he also wanted to inform the public that the WPS has not yet been officially registered with the IHO, and that the laws recently passed by Congress are “preparatory” for the actual registration.

“Isip tuloy ng tao, grupo ng senatorial slate ni Digong ay (The people now thinks that the senatorial slate of Duterte is) pro-China. It now becomes an election disinformation that will impact the credibility of the election. Yun po ang gusto nating ayusin, yung (That is what we wanted to address, the) misconception, misinformation,” he said.

Marcoleta, nevertheless, thanked Tarriela for clarifying that he did not brand him a traitor.

“Point natin is huwag gamitin ang misinformationa at misconception, lalo na ng mga vloggers, sa lahat po ng bahagi at aspeto ng ating buhay. Ag WPS ay atin, kaya lang po ay ipatala natin ang pangalan para huwag gamitin sa misconception (let’s not use misinformation and misconception, especially the vloggers, in all parts and aspects of our lives. The WPS is ours, but we have to register it so it won’t be used in misconception),” he said.

Meanwhile, Tarriela called for the creation of a law against online disinformation, particularly those spreading “fake news” about the West Philippine Sea.

He said such legislation would hold “trolls, influencers, and bloggers accountable for their online content.”

“One of the greatest challenges facing the Philippine government in the WPS, aside from China’s bullying, unlawful activities, and aggressive actions, is combating the spread of fake news and disinformation that obscures the true narrative of events in the WPS,” Tarriela said.

He added that such misinformation leads to “confusion and division” among the Filipino people. (With a report from Raymond Carl dela Cruz/PNA)