Atin Ito First Filipino Community Newspaper in Ontario
Senator Risa Hontiveros has urged the Senate to look into the adoption of measures strengthening the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to assess its ability to maintain the maritime transport network and enforce the country’s laws and improve governance within the country’s maritime zones.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros (Senate PRIB photo)
In filing Senate resolution No. 744, Hontiveros said it is necessary for the upper chamber to look into these measures so Congress can shore up even more support for the PCG in countering China’s disinformation campaign and harassment in the West Philippine Sea.
The senator pointed out the Chinese government has already militarized portions of the WPS by building and fortifying artificial islands in the region over the years and this has led to an unprecedented challenge to the PCG’s primary mission of maintaining the maritime transport network and enforcing the country’s laws that asserts the Philippines’ rights and sovereignty over contested waters.
Hontiveros also it is important for lawmakers to look into the Chinese government’s move to pass laws authorizing its Chinese Coast Guard to use force on foreign ships and destroy other countries’ structures and facilities in waters claimed by China.
The senator also urged the Senate to look into the “concerted disinformation campaign” promoting a pro-China narrative directly targeting PCG officials.
“The PCG, despite being tasked to maintain maritime domain awareness across the width and breadth of the country’s maritime zones has only been allocated an intelligence budget of only P10-million, forcing it to rely only on human intelligence rather than on signal intelligence,” she said.
“There is an urgent need to provide the PCG with additional resources, including marine radar stations and Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) covering strategically vital areas within the country’s maritime zones,” Hontiveros stressed in the resolution.
In a privilege speech, Hontiveros said she “longs for the day that the successful conduct of our resupply missions is the norm, not the exception.”
“China has deprived us of many things, including our right to freedom of navigation,” she lamented.
She also slammed the Global Times, China’s national language English newspaper, that reported the Chinese Coast Guard’s behavior “was based on law” and that the Philippine vessels “illegally sailed into waters.” The same was done by CGTN, China’s state-owned network, she pointed out.
“They made it appear like the Philippines did wrong. Worse, these false narratives are echoed by some of our fellow Filipinos,” she lamented.
“I encourage all of us to support the increase of PCG’s intel funds. This is where confidential and intelligence funds should be allocated. This is where our money should go,” Hontiveros appealed to her colleagues. — Hannah Torregoza
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