Tolentino: Beef up security forces budget to bolster WPS strategy

MANILA -- Senator Francis "Tol" Tolentino said it is necessary to beef up the budget for the security forces in the West Philippine Sea as well as equip Filipino fisherfolks in the vicinity.

In an interview with ANC Headstart on Wednesday, Sen. Tol said: "We have to really ramp up the budget for our Naval Forces as well and the Air Force."

"I think strategy-wise, I think [it] would be better to equip likewise our fisherfolks, give them the necessary tools to really fish in the area but protect them as well," he added.

Tolentino, Senate Special Committee on Maritime and Admiralty Zones chairman, also underscored that to fortify the claim of the Philippines in the territorial dispute, crafting the Maritime Zone Law is a key factor.

"It is claiming now. It is claiming the breadth of our territorial sea, continental shelf, beyond exclusive economize zone, our seabed, et cetera," Sen. Tol Said.

He further stressed: "Maritime Zone Law will not just include the West Philippine Sea, it would include even the Pacific side, the Benham Rise."