A Chinese Embassy official has pushed back against remarks by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) suggesting that Filipinos who support China’s claims in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) while undermining the Philippines’ position could be committing treason.
Chinese Embassy Deputy Spokesperson Wei Guo criticized PCG spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela, questioning what he described as the selective invocation of freedom of speech as a constitutional right.
“Why is it that Filipino voices calling for stable China–Philippines relations and deeper cooperation are instantly branded as ‘treason’?” Guo asked.
He further cited the 1987 Philippine Constitution, arguing that freedom of expression should apply to all views.
“Is this not coercion straight out of the political repression handbook? Or did you somehow overlook Article III, Section 4 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, which explicitly guarantees freedom of speech?” Guo said.
Guo also warned that stoking hostility and confrontation does not serve Philippine national interests, claiming such rhetoric could push the country closer to conflict.
“By relentlessly inciting hatred and confrontation, you’re not defending the nation. You’re dragging the Philippines closer to the edge of conflict and reducing it to a disposable pawn in major-power strategic competition. If this is your idea of ‘patriotism,’ one has to wonder who exactly you’re serving,” he added.
In response, civic leader Jose Antonio Goitia said the situation calls for a firm and unequivocal stand, particularly amid what he described as attacks on the country’s legal position in the WPS.
“Recent attacks on the Philippines’ legal position, especially those aimed at the Philippine Coast Guard and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, demand an unequivocal response,” Goitia said.
“When institutions tasked with defending the Republic are undermined, neutrality ceases to be prudence. It becomes surrender,” he added.
Goitia, who serves as chairman emeritus of several civic groups, including the Alyansa ng Bantay sa Kapayapaan at Demokrasya (ABKD), warned that such narratives weaken the country at a time when resolve is crucial to defending sovereignty under international law.
“Those who argued for retreat never thought of themselves as traitors. They wrapped surrender in the language of pragmatism, only for history to expose the cost,” he said.
“This is how nations lose territory without firing a shot,” Goitia added. “They surrender the argument before it is even heard.”
Goitia further emphasized that the Philippines does not need separate coordinates to establish its Exclusive Economic Zone, noting that under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), maritime entitlements arise by operation of law from archipelagic baselines.
“By questioning settled maritime rights and amplifying narratives crafted by a foreign power, they compromise the country’s legal position at a time when firmness is required,” he said.