Marcos says developments in West PH Sea ‘worrisome’

President Ferdinand ”Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Wednesday described as “worrisome” the recent developments in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), including the presence of the Chinese navy and interference on the electronic communication capabilities of Philippine vessels.

Speaking to reporters before leaving for Canberra, Australia, Marcos said despite the situation, the Philippines will not be deterred from defending its maritime territory and protecting its fishermen.

“It’s worrisome because there are two elements to that: one is that the — dati Coast Guard lang ng China ang gumagalaw doon sa area natin. Ngayon, may Navy na sumama pa mga fishing boat,” Marcos said when asked about his thoughts on recent developments in the West Philippine Sea.

“So, nagbabago ang sitwasyon, but – well, maliwanag naman para sa atin, we don’t really – we just watch, of course, what everybody is doing, but really for us, patuloy pa rin natin, we just defend our maritime territory,” he added. 

Marcos also said the government would continue to extend assistance to Filipino fishermen, noting that these fishermen should always be allowed to fish in traditional fishing grounds. 

”We continue to support all of our fishermen, fisherfolks who make their living from these fishing grounds at patuloy naman nating tutulungan sila (and we will continue to help them),” Marcos said. 

Aside from the presence of Chinese navy ships in WPS, the Philippine Navy on Tuesday said it has monitored an increase in the interference on the electronic communication capabilities, cyber interference, and jamming of its vessels in the region.

Philippine Navy spokesperson for WPS Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad said these interference usually happened during the cooperation stages for rotation and resupply missions in the region. 

Trinidad, however, did not pinpoint the source of the interference. —KBK, GMA Integrated News