Marilyn Cahatol

Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela during a joint NTF-WPS press conference at the PCG Office in Manila on March 6, 2024. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Allison Co

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176931917303120240306-afp-pcg-wps-presscon-JC-6.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela during a joint NTF-WPS press conference at the PCG Office in Manila on March 6, 2024. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News "/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela during a joint NTF-WPS press conference at the PCG Office in Manila on March 6, 2024. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News </em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — The Philippines backed its officials and held its ground on resolving West Philippine Sea disputes with China through diplomacy as tensions with the foreign embassy continued to escalate.</p><p>This started with a series of heated online exchanges over recent weeks between Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela and the Chinese Embassy.</p><p>According to international relations analyst Renato de Castro, Tarriela is simply performing his duties under the government’s transparency initiative, which involves publicly disclosing the actions of Chinese Coast Guard vessels and maritime militia within the West Philippine Sea.</p><p>He noted that the Chinese Embassy, in turn, has responded aggressively, characterizing its approach as “wolf-warrior diplomacy.”</p><div> </div><div><strong>&#x27;BLATANT, RUDE AND CRUDE&#x27;</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>“Our statespersons are presenting the facts on the ground. Instead na sagutin (ng Chinese Embassy) and explain nila bakit ginagawa, sinasabi nila na &#x27;smear, &#x27;lie&#x27;… Lantarang panunupil ‘yan sa ating karapatang mag-usap hinggil sa nangyayari sa West Philippine Sea,” de Castro explained.</p><p>“Talagang nakikita natin na binabalik ng Chinese ambassador ngayon sa Maynila ‘yung wolf-warrior diplomacy… it’s a blatant, rude and crude form of diplomacy where you see Chinese diplomats being highly offensive.”</p><p>In a statement released on Saturday, January 24, the Department of National Defense condemned an earlier remark by Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Guo Jiakun, who warned that “certain uniformed service members, driven by personal political motives” should stop making provocations or “they will pay the price.”</p><p>Defense Assistant Secretary Arsenio Andolong said the statement underscored China’s attempt to “bully smaller countries.”</p><p>A day later, the National Security Council (NSC) backed this statement up.</p><p>NSC Spokesperson Cornelio H. Valencia, Jr. said they view the recent pattern of public statements of the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in Manila as &quot;undiplomatic and uncalled for.&quot;</p><p>&quot;The concern extends beyond individual officials to the broader impact on Philippine institutions.</p><p>The Philippines is a democracy governed by the rule of law. Public officials, spokespersons, and institutions are mandated to inform the Filipino people of developments affecting national security, including activities in the West Philippine Sea,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;We reiterate that disagreements between States must be addressed through established diplomatic channels, like the existing Bilateral Consultation Mechanism, consistent with international law and diplomatic norms. Public messaging that intimidates, threatens, or seeks to silence Philippine officials performing their lawful duties is inconsistent with the spirit and obligations of diplomatic engagement and clearly violates the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.&quot;</p><p>In an earlier press conference on January 21, Sen. Risa Hontiveros also voiced her support for Tarriela, criticizing the Chinese Embassy for being a “bad guest” by quarreling with Philippine officials.</p><p>&quot;Masyado namang pa-victim ang pag-uugali ng Chinese Embassy dito sa Manila. After all, sila po yung umaatake ng lasers at kung ano-ano pa sa ating uniformed services. Sila ang nagtataboy sa ating mga mangisda sa fishing grounds ng Pilipinas. Sila ang sumisira ng ating likas-yaman sa dagat,&quot; she said.</p><p>The Chinese Embassy later responded on a Facebook post accusing Hontiveros of doing “political theater.”</p><p>It added: “[T]he price of that theater is paid not by you, but by ordinary Filipinos who deserve stability, cooperation, and truth, not manufactured confrontation.”</p><p>Hontiveros, meanwhile, urged the Department of Foreign Affairs to take action on the embassy’s statements.</p><div> </div><div><strong>DFA BACKS PH OFFICIALS, STRESSES DIPLOMATIC CHANNELS</strong></div><div> </div><p>On January 21, the DFA issued a statement expressing support for Philippine officials and agencies “performing their legal duties in defense of Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction.”</p><p>However, it emphasized “differences between States are best addressed through established diplomatic channels rather than public exchanges.”</p><p>De Castro explained that this stance is consistent with the DFA’s long-standing adherence to traditional diplomacy.</p><p>“Ang nangyayari ngayon, hindi natin maaalis yung elemento ng tinatawag natin na public diplomacy.  akikipag-usap ka hindi sa estado, nakikipag-usap ka sa mga ordinaryong mamamayan… kumbaga hindi talaga naka-focus ang ating Department of Foreign Affairs sa public diplomacy.”</p><p>For this reason, De Castro also urged the public to be discerning when evaluating the Chinese Embassy’s public statements, alongside ongoing diplomatic efforts.</p><p>“Tingnan natin kung saan talaga nanggagaling ‘yung mga Tsino, of course ang ginagawa ng China talaga is panunupil and, of course, in a way insulto rin ito sa ating sovereign rights, sovereignty natin na may karapatan tayo na i-articulate ang ating interests at kung ano ang ginagawa ng mga Tsino. Wala silang karapatan na supilin tayo sa loob mismo ng ating bansa.”</p><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/R4pgiOc3too?si=sfph00wJqcB6W17V" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br/></div>

<p>The Philippines backed its officials and held its ground on resolving West Philippine Sea disputes with China through diplomacy as tensions with the foreign embassy continued to escalate.</p>

The Philippines backed its officials and held its ground on resolving West Philippine Sea disputes with China through diplomacy as tensions with the foreign embassy continued to escalate.

PH pushes back as China’s ‘Wolf-Warrior’ rhetoric targets officials

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PH pushes back as China’s ‘Wolf-Warrior’ rhetoric targets officials

Allison Co,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 25, 2026 02:22 PM PHT

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Updated Jan 25, 2026 04:28 PM PHT

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WPS

China

Philippine Coast Guard

DND

DFA

Risa Hontiveros

Jay Tarriela

Renato De Castro

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