The Filipino public and government officials must disregard political colors and take a stand for the Philippines’ sovereignty amid China’s continuous aggression in claiming almost 90 percent of the resource-rich West Philippine Sea, Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan said on Tuesday, January 27.

The senator delivered a sponsorship speech for Senate Resolution No. 256, which condemns the recent public statements from the Chinese Embassy. This comes as he faces criticism from the Chinese Embassy in Manila after defending the country’s territorial and maritime rights against China’s expansive claims in the region. 

“Ngayon, sa panahong tumitindi ang pandaigdigang tensyon, sinisiguro ko: magkakasangga tayo — Senado, DFA, Coast Guard, Armed Forces, BFAR, buong Sambayanang Pilipinas,” he said during Senate’s plenary session. 

“Magkakasangga tayo laban sa pang-iinsulto, laban sa pagbangga sa pag wa-water cannon, at sa pakikipaghabulan sa ating mga mangingisda at sundalo. Iisa tayo, bilang isang Republika, na naninindigan para sa ating mga karapatan at dignidad,” he added. 

PSR 256 has crossed political party lines, receiving support from Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Senate Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, and Senators Erwin Tulfo, Risa Hontiveros, Raffy Tulfo, Win Gatchalian, Loren Legarda, JV Ejercito, Bam Aquino, Jinggoy Estrada, Lito Lapid, Camille Villar, and Mark Villar. 

In his sponsorship speech, Pangilinan blasts an official of the Chinese Embassy for “undiplomatic and disrespectful” public statements against lawmakers, including himself, for remarks made in defense of Philippine sovereignty and maritime rights in the West Philippine Sea. 

“By adopting this resolution, the Senate tells China, and the world, that this institution will not be cowed. That this institution will defend our nation’s sovereignty, that this institution will defend and uphold our Constitution as we swore to defend and uphold the Constitution,” he said. 

“We may hold differing views on many matters, yet in this we stand together: we uphold our officials when they speak on behalf of our nation, and we safeguard our institutions when they are disparaged by outsiders.”

The senator pointed out that the Chinese Embassy’s recent public statements are part of a “pattern” of a “wider strategy” to harass and intimidate those who fight for the Philippines, to discredit the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal victory, and to assert China’s nine-dash-line claim. 

“The arbitral award will not disappear. The nine-dash line has been rejected. That reality cannot be reversed by trolling, by insults, or by pressure,” Pangilinan stressed. 

China’s dangerous maneuvers in the West Philippine Sea have caused widespread concern in the international community on freedom of navigation in a region where one-third of global trade passes by annually. 

The West Philippine Sea, specifically Scarborough Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc), sits roughly 124 nautical miles from Luzon. As is the case with other features of the hotly contested region, the shoal—the site of a 2012 standoff between the Philippines and China—is over 470 nautical miles from mainland China’s coast.