Marcos' senatorial race allies vow to assert West Philippine Sea rights

ILOCOS NORTE, Philippines — Several senatorial aspirants from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s administration slate have reaffirmed their commitment to defending the Philippines' sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea.

During the campaign kickoff in Marcos' stronghold of Ilocos Norte, candidates insisted on the need for national policies to assert maritime rights.

Senate Majority Leader and reelectionist Francis Tolentino expressed support for the administration's multilateral approach, emphasizing that the issue is not solely a bilateral matter between China and the Philippines.

Tolentino, author of the Philippine Maritime Zones Law and the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Law—both signed into law by Marcos—stressed their significance in reinforcing maritime rights. It gives the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Coast Guard to reassert the country's rights over the waterways, he said.

“It is a long process, so we started it with those two laws, which serve as the legal framework for us to assert our maritime rights,” Tolentino said in Filipino.

Former Senate President Tito Sotto echoed Tolentino’s sentiments, noting that implementation is now key.

Sotto, who had filed similar legislation during his tenure as senator, said: “That is what we talked about when we filed it. If China has a nine dash line, so we may also need a nine dash line. It is that simple because we cannot leave it to the interpretation of the UNCLOS or the United Nation Convention on the Laws of the Sea.”

Benjamin Abalos, former interior secretary, also said that the Permanent Court of Arbitration has already ruled in favor of the Philippines.

“We won in the tribunal, and that victory is ours. We cannot give this away; it is ours,” Abalos said in Filipino.

Rep. Erwin Tulfo (ACT-CIS party-list) took a more hardline stance, declaring that defending the West Philippine Sea is worth making sacrifices.

“Thousands of Katipuneros died defending this country. Why shouldn’t we?” Tulfo said.