Push Admin

Choose leaders who can defend West Philippine Sea, maritime law expert says

Article (news)

Raffy Cabristante, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="A vessel of the Chinese Coast Guard sails close to the Philippines" BRP="" Malabrigo="" in="" the="" disputed="" Bajo="" de="" Masinloc="" on="" March="" Courtesy:="" Philippine="" Coast="" Guard="" Facebook="" page="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/news/03/27/china-cg.jpg"/><figcaption>A vessel of the Chinese Coast Guard sails close to the Philippines&#x27; BRP Malabrigo in the disputed Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) on March 2, 2022. Courtesy: Philippine Coast Guard Facebook page/screengrab</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA — A maritime law expert on Sunday called on voters to elect to the presidency the candidate who has firm policies and positions in favor of the West Philippine Sea (WPS).In an interview with ABS-CBN TeleRadyo, University of the Philippines (UP) professor Atty. Jay Batongbacal said that choosing a candidate who can defend the country’s rights to the WPS is important, as the president is a key official in forming Philippine foreign policy.“Sana suriin nilang mabuti ‘yong mga postura, ‘yong iniisip, ‘yong kaisipan ng ating kandidato, at pumili sila ng kandidato na maninindigan para sa Pilipino at hindi lang magbibigay nang magbibigay doon sa China,” said Batongbacal, who is also the director the UP Institute for Maritime Affairs and the Law of the Sea.(I hope voters can look carefully into the stances and thoughts of our candidates, and ultimately choose someone who can stand for the Filipino and doesn’t just give what China wants.)Batongbacal issued the statements after the March 2 incident in the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, wherein a Chinese Coast Guard ship sailed dangerously close to a Philippine Coast Guard vessel.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/03/29/22/ph-files-diplomatic-protest-over-latest-incident-involving-chinese-ship">PH files diplomatic protest over latest Scarborough Shoal incident involving Chinese ship</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/30/22/ex-dfa-chief-slams-china-over-bajo-de-masinloc-incident">Ex-DFA chief slams Chinese close encounter with PH ship at Scarborough Shoal</a></li></ul>He slammed the Duterte administration’s friendly pivot toward China, saying that nothing came out of it except for emboldening the Asian superpower into taking more of the Philippines’ territorial waters.He also criticized President Rodrigo Duterte’s 2016 campaign promise of riding a jet ski to defend the West Philippine Sea, saying that it can’t be used again in 2022.“Please lang, bumenta na iyon. Huwag na tayong maniniwala doon sa ganoong klaseng mga pangako,” Batongbacal said.(Please, that&#x27;s an old promise. Let us not believe in promises like that.)Batongbacal urged voters to seriously consider the West Philippine Sea issue into choosing who to vote for president in the May 9 elections, as the fate of the country’s territorial waters will affect generations to come.“’Yon pong ating mga apo, at apo ng ating mga apo ang siyang magiging apektado nito, lalo na kung iyang [West Philippine Sea] ay mawawala sa atin,” he said.(Our grandchildren and their grandchildren will be affected by this, especially if we lose the West Philippine Sea.)He explained that the fate of the West Philippine Sea will determine the country’s food supply as well as the future of its indigenous energy sources.The WPS, Batongbacal said, accounts for 27 percent of the national fish supply.He noted that among the presidential candidates, Vice President Leni Robredo’s approach to the WPS issue is the most “comprehensive.”Robredo earlier said that she would use the “instruments of national power” approach to address the issue of the West Philippine Sea, using diplomatic, informational, military, and economic strategies.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/14/21/robredo-china-must-accept-west-ph-sea-arbitral-ruling">Robredo on China: Trade OK but Beijing must accept West PH Sea arbitral ruling</a>0</li></ul>Batongbacal also took note of Sen. Panfilo Lacson’s and labor leader Leody De Guzman’s “diplomacy” platforms in dealing with China, highlighting the importance of collaborating with Southeast Asian neighbors and “middle powers” like Japan and Australia.Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso’s platform of intensifying military presence in the WPS, he added, must also be paired with increased civilian presence such as fisherfolk.Batongbacal pointed out that while former Sen. Bongbong Marcos’ approach of talks with China is plausible, there must be a clear objective in this and not simply doing talks “for the sake of talking.”“Hindi enough ‘yung sasabihin mong makikiusap ka… At by experience, nakipag-usap na ‘yung nauna sa iyo, eh wala namang nangyari,” he said.(Just talking is not enough. And by experience, your predecessor already did that to no avail.)<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/03/30/22/what-phs-china-policy-could-look-like-under-marcos">ANALYSIS: What PH’s China policy could look like under a Marcos presidency</a></li></ul><div>RELATED VIDEO: </div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1985995" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

A maritime law expert called on voters to elect to the presidency the candidate who has firm policies and positions on the West Philippine Sea.

Choose leaders who can defend West Philippine Sea, maritime law expert says

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

News

Choose leaders who can defend West Philippine Sea, maritime law expert says

Raffy Cabristante,

ABS-CBN News

Published Apr 03, 2022 04:10 PM PHT

Read More:

West Philippine Sea

China

Scarborough Shoal

Leni Robredo

Bongbong Marcos

Isko Moreno

Panfilo Lacson

Leody De Guzman

Halalan 2022

WPS

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.