A spokesperson for the Philippine Coast Guard on Wednesday said he is disheartened to hear people doubt the PCG's capability to protect Philippine waters without the help of the US.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Philippine Coast Guard Spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said he wholeheartedly stands by "the Commandant and the 30,000 courageous men and women of the Philippine Coast Guard, who are dedicated to fulfilling our patriotic duty in the West Philippine Sea."

"We will continue to serve and protect our Exclusive Economic Zone, irrespective of any external assistance. It is disheartening to hear doubts cast on our capabilities to carry out this duty without the support of other external actors," he added.

Sen. Robinhood Padilla earlier questioned the presence of a US Navy aircraft during a military resupply mission in Ayungin Shoal last September 8, saying the presence of US forces could heighten tensions.

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Military officials have said the P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance plane was monitoring the resupply mission, which the Chinese Coast Guard had tried to block.

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Padilla also warned the Philippines could be dragged in a "proxy war" between the US and China.

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, however, pointed out the US is a treaty ally and that talk of a proxy war is “the other side’s propaganda."

"Proxy war ba ito e tayo ang...kinubkob...Scarborough Shoal, number one. Water cannoning. I mean, how can you say it's a proxy war. If it's a proxy war, e di tirahin nila yung kalaban nila sa proxy. Wag tayo," he told reporters.

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In his statement, Tarriela pointed out President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. "has already made it clear that we will work with all countries to establish a rules-based international order."

"The disputes in the South China Sea should not be framed solely as a competition between powerful nations, as this denies us our independence and disregards our legitimate interests," he added.

Sen. Padilla earlier said the PCG must be given a bigger budget in 2024 so it would not be "forced to depend" on US assistance.

"Sa ngayon, masyado tayong umaasa sa tulong ng Amerikano... Sana mabigyan natin ng pansin madagdagan ng budget ang Coast Guard, para sila talaga ang bida," Padilla said.

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DOMAIN AWARENESS

In a separate interview, Professor Jay Batongbacal, the Director of the Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, said the presence of the the P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance plane in Ayungin Shoal was likely coordinated with the Philippine military since the US is a treaty ally.

He said the deployment of the aircraft was for domain awareness or situational awareness "to find out what is happening to be able to make decisions when needed."

All data and information collected during the mission would likely be shared with Philippine military officials, he said.

Similar aircraft from the US and Australia were also deployed during the five-month long siege of Islamic State-inspired terrorists in Marawi last 2017.

Batongbacal said he does not agree with Padilla's assessment that the deployment of the reconnaissance plane is heightening tensions with China.

"Hindi ako agree sa ganung klaseng pananalita. In the first place po, hindi 'yung presence ng eroplano ang nagdadala ng tensyon kasi malayo siya. Umiikot lang siya. Kung magkakaroon ng banggaan sa tubig, hindi naman magla-landing ang eroplano para mag intervene," he said in a TeleRadyo Serbisyo interview.

"Ang tensyon ay nanggagaling sa China kasi sila 'yung naghaharang. Sila 'yung nagpupumilit na patalsikin tayo sa Ayungin. At nitong nakaraang 6 na taon, sila talaga lagi ang nag e-escalate ng situation."

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