THITU ISLAND, Philippines: A Philippine senator called for deepening defence relationships and “continuous” pushback against China’s claims in the South China Sea while visiting one of Manila’s tiny possessions in the disputed waterway on Saturday (Feb 21).
Thitu Island, known as Pag-asa in the Philippines, is home to about 400 Filipinos, mostly fishermen and their families, who China accuse of living there illegally.
It lies about 450km west of Palawan within the disputed Spratly island chain, a group of more than 700 islets, reefs and atolls believed to sit above vast natural resources.
Senator Risa Hontiveros, an outspoken critic of China, told AFP on Saturday she believed Filipinos were not ready to give up “any portion of the West Philippine Sea”, using Manila’s favoured term for the waters off its western seaboard.
“We need continuous diplomatic and political pushback,” Hontiveros said after a plane journey of more than two hours with local journalists.
While welcoming the strengthening of the Philippines’ treaty relationship with the United States in recent years, Hontiveros said Manila hoped to bring even more “like-minded nations” into the fold.
“We need to continuously develop our security and defence relations with (other countries), including joint patrols,” she said.
An AFP journalist who flew to Thitu Island aboard a second plane saw Chinese navy and coast guard vessels patrolling near the island.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/philippine-senator-risa-hontiveros-calls-out-china-disputed-thitu-island-5944406
