Privilege Speech of Sen. Francis "Tol" N. Tolentino
Topic: Situation in the South China Sea and West Philippine Sea

In a privilege speech at the end of the Senate's 2022 session, Senator Francis "Tol" N. Tolentino urged members of the Legislature and the country's maritime security forces and diplomats to ensure that Philippine interests in the West Philippine Sea are protected and enhanced.

Sen. Tolentino highlighted in his speech, the November 2022 incident when the China Coast Guard's (CCG) forcefully retrieved debris from a Chinese Long March 5B rocket which fell within the Pag-asa Islands Territorial Sea. The Senator warned that the incident was a gross violation of Philippine sovereignty under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitral Award.

The Senator noted that Chinese diplomats denied that the incident occurred, claiming that a "friendly" consultation took place, but footage and reports clearly showed the CCG assertively taking the space debris in an area well within sovereign Philippine territory. Sen. Tolentino stated that these incidents cannot be allowed to continue as they not only can potentially harm Filipino fishermen but the China Coast Guard's actions also violate Philippine maritime rights as enshrined in the UNCLOS and the Arbitral Award.

Sen. Tolentino urged members of the military and diplomatic corps to continue to denounce the brazen intrusions into Philippine maritime territory and assert the country's rights, citing the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 Arbitral Award. The Senator called on all to strengthen and solidify Philippine strategic alliances towards this end.