The Philippines and its coast guard continue to experience harassment in the West Philippine Sea from the Chinese Coast Guard despite being favored by the historic 2016 ruling of the international Permanent Court of Arbitration. It appears that the Chinese government still stubbornly insists on its claims for maritime expansion in the said waters.
Their maritime activities seem to be expanding and even intensive as the months pass by, to the point that even our own coast guard’s resupply operation has been jeopardized. Their rough and forced action toward our troops is a clear manifestation of their so-called supremacy over the said territorial dispute, which shows our incapacity to defend our own waters.
The best that the country can do is to strengthen its relationship with other Southeast Asian countries and even its alliance with Japan and United States, and hope that they will also defend our beloved Philippines when our worst kryptonite comes haunting us.
Ryne Rosales, Bantayan Island, Cebu