China’s ‘crimes against humanity’ hit

MANILA, Philippines — Following its previous claim that it took control of sand bars located near Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commodore Jay Tarriela said China should “take full responsibility” for what he called its “crimes against humanity.”

“China must cease its falsehoods and take full responsibility for its crimes against humanity, particularly for the destruction of marine ecosystems not only in the West Philippine Sea but throughout the South China Sea due to its illegal reclamation/island building and destructive fishing operations,” the PCG’s spokesman on West Philippine Sea issues posted on his X account last Tuesday.

Citing the landmark 2016 arbitral ruling that favored the Philippines’ position and upholding its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone that includes the West Philippine Sea, Tarriela said China “‘caused severe harm to the coral reef environment,’ specifically due to its extensive land reclamation and artificial island construction.”

The decision also “held the Chinese government accountable for poaching and the resulting devastation of coral reefs… It ruled that Chinese authorities were aware that Chinese fishermen had harvested endangered sea turtles, coral and giant clams on a substantial scale in the South China Sea,” he added.

Furthermore, the 2016 award “indicated that Chinese fishermen were permitted to harvest clams in areas designated for future construction, as Beijing was aware that these reefs would soon be destroyed. It concluded that China, despite its regulations on protecting giant clams and coral reefs, knowingly tolerated these practices to exploit marine resources before the reefs faced permanent destruction from island-building activities.”

Tarriela urged China to “stop deflecting blame onto the Philippines for environmental damage.”

“It is illogical to suggest that a small number of Filipino fishermen pose a greater threat than the hundreds of Chinese maritime militia vessels that engage in irresponsible poaching and disregard for environmental protection,” he added.

He wrote the X post in response to another post by Chinese state publication Global Times that “debunks claims from the Philippines regarding China dumping coral debris on Tiexian Jiao, as well as rumors from some nations that the reef sandbars are due to ‘land reclamation,’” as well as photos of a dumped package allegedly found in the area that came from the Philippines. Tiexian Jiao is China’s name for one of the sandy cays located near Pag-asa Island.

Combined exercise in West Philippine Sea

Deploying warships and military jets, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Australian Defense Force and the United States Indo-Pacific Command again held drills in the waters and skies of the West Philippine Sea (WPS) on Tuesday in a Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MMCA,) seeking to further improve interoperability among the allied nations.

The Philippine deployment included the BRP Antonio Luna, an AW159 anti-submarine helicopter, three FA-50 fighter jets and Philippine Air Force search and rescue assets.

Australia participated with its the HMAS Sydney warship, while the US deployed F-16 and F-18 fighter jets along with a long-range bomber aircraft.

AFP public affairs office chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said the 9th MMCA is separate from the six-day Multilateral Maritime Event under this year’s ongoing Balikatan exercises held from April 24 to 29 also in the WPS.

“The exercise brought together key maritime and air assets from the three partner nations, showcasing a strong commitment to regional security, interoperability and cooperation in support of a rules-based international order,” he said.

Trinidad said the 9th MMCA featured a series of integrated operations aimed at improving tactical coordination and combined operational capabilities among the three nations. These included a Communications Check Exercise, rotary flight operations/vertical replenishment, Division Tactics and a Photo Exercise.

Air patrols and an anti-submarine warfare exercise were also conducted, demonstrating multi-domain coordination and shared maritime security objectives.

AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. emphasized the strategic importance of the activity, stating that the 9th MMCA “demonstrates the growing synergy among like-minded partners in maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. These exercises are vital in strengthening our collective defense posture and operational readiness.”

The military said the multilateral engagement reaffirms the AFP’s commitment to fostering international cooperation, maintaining maritime security and safeguarding Philippine sovereignty in accordance with international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Reacting to a recent statement by the People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theater Command criticizing the Philippine military’s activities with its allies and its efforts of strengthening capabilities and partnership for regional stability and security, AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said the AFP “stands firm in exercising our sovereign rights within our maritime domain.”

“The conduct of joint exercises and maritime domain awareness operations within our territorial waters and exclusive economic zone is not a provocation – it is preparedness. These are deliberate, lawful actions anchored on international law, particularly the UNCLOS, and rooted in responsible, forward-looking defense,” she said.

“Our partnerships, especially with long-standing allies like the United States, reflect shared values and a collective commitment to safeguarding peace, security and the rules-based international order. These collaborative efforts reinforce not just military capability but mutual trust and strategic interoperability,” she added.

Padilla noted that as emphasized by the AFP chief himself, “We will assess our readiness in all domains – air, land, sea, cyber, information and the emerging frontier of space – through comprehensive exercises that integrate tactical precision with strategic foresight.”

Not on Google Maps?

After generating buzz online, Google appeared to have removed the “West Philippine Sea” label on its web mapping platform.

The label is no longer available on Google Maps, although it will appear if “West Philippine Sea” is searched on the platform.

Google has yet to issue a statement on the matter.

In an earlier statement, the company confirmed that “the West Philippine Sea has always been labeled on Google Maps.”

“We recently made this label easier to see at additional zoom levels,” it added.

The update was welcomed by the Philippine government, but drew criticism from Beijing.  – Michael Punongbayan, Janvic Mateo