Philippine Senator Risa Hontiveros and Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela were visiting their country’s South China Sea outpost on Thitu Island on Saturday when their phones displayed a roaming message that said, “Welcome to CHINA.”
They described the message as one of many intimidation tactics China uses to press its claims to reefs and islands that are claimed by the Philippines and other countries.
Thitu is a tiny island in the chain known to Westerners as the Spratly Islands. Filipinos refer to the northeastern section of the chain as the Kalayaan Island Group, and their name for Thitu Island is Pag-asa, which means “hope” in Tagalog.
The island is only 0.37 square miles across, which actually makes it the second-largest land mass in the Spratlys, and the largest to be claimed by the Philippines. It has been occupied by Filipinos since 1974 and has about 400 civilian residents.
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has made expansive claims to own nearly the entire South China Sea. Those claims were decisively rejected by an international tribunal in 2016, but Beijing ignored the ruling and has used steadily escalating levels of force and intimidation to seize control of disputed territory like the Spratlys.
Much attention has recently been focused on China’s violent efforts to stop the Philippines from resupplying their military outpost on the Second Thomas Shoal, or Ayungin Shoal to the Filipinos, but the residents of Thitu Island have noticed Beijing’s eye turning against them as well.
In August, Chinese state media accused the Filipinos of “illegally” occupying Thitu and attempting to militarize it. More statements from the Chinese Foreign Ministry and state media have complained about the Filipino presence on the island since then.
Residents of Thithu accused the Chinese of increasingly obnoxious behavior, such as shadowing Philippine boats, shining bright lights along the horizon at night to attract fish, overfishing the area, and destroying coral formations.
“There are times when Chinese coast guard vessels would chase us away, so we are forced to stay on one side of the island. And when we try to fish on the other side, Chinese drones fly over us,” a Thitu fisherman said on Saturday.
“We’re not afraid because we know we’re in the right, but they’re using ships while we only have small boats. We don’t stand a chance, so to avoid trouble, we just steer away,” said another.
These behaviors are making the Filipinos nervous because their colony on Thitu is isolated and highly dependent on supply shipments that could be blocked by the Chinese. It takes about 30 hours to reach the nearest large settlement by boat, but only 40 minutes to walk the entire circumference of Thitu on foot. The island did not gain round-the-clock electric power until 2023.
Sen. Hontiveros and Commodore Tarriela made their visit to Thitu on Saturday to demonstrate their government’s commitment to the tiny colony. Reporters traveling with the Filipino officials said Chinese naval and coast guard ships were visible around Thitu as their plane descended to the island’s tiny airport.
“We will never give up the Kalayaan Island Group, including Pag-asa,” Hontiveros told the islanders.
Hontiveros called for “continuous diplomatic and political pushback” against China from the United States and other “like-minded nations,” including more security commitments and joint patrols of the area.
Hontiveros noted that Vice President Sara Duterte, the daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte, recently announced her candidacy for the presidency in 2028. Hontiveros said she expected the younger Duterte would return to her father’s pro-China policies, backing away from the tougher stance taken by current President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and she might toss her own hat in the ring to preserve the Marcos position. Marcos is term-limited and cannot run again in 2028.
Tarriela applauded Hontiveros for her “bravery” in visiting Thitu, and bringing groceries, desalination machines, and doctors for the residents.
Tarriela also encouraged Philippine President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson to follow through on his expressed interest in visiting the island again, if his work schedule allowed. Lacson made a previous trip to the island in 2021.
“I think it’s incumbent upon us, especially the Armed Forces, to protect and defend Pag-asa from either intrusion and, worst scenario, invasion,” he said on Saturday.
“Your presence will undoubtedly uplift the residents, reminding them that they are not forgotten and we will not give them up; and that our national government stands ready to protect them while improving their daily lives,” Tarriela responded, offering to provide Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) transportation for Lacson’s next visit.