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Hontiveros condemns China Coast Guard: Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros condemns the China Coast Guard's (CCG) series of attacks against the vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR). During Monday’s plenary session, May 6, 2024, Hontiveros, in her privilege speech, said the attacks show that the Chinese government appears to be committed, through the unlawful use of force, what it cannot achieve through international law. “The Chinese government claims the Philippines is being reckless, that it is our country that is inflaming the situation. If I may be blunt, those are nothing but lies and deception. In its desire to be perceived as a superpower and a regional hegemon, the Chinese government seems decided to walk a path of escalation and provocation – a strategy anchored on force and coercion,” Hontiveros said. “There must be an end to all of this. There must be an end to and a reversal of the Chinese militarization of the entire South China Sea that is inflaming the arms race in the region, threatening security and peace on our side of the world,” she added. (Bibo Nueva España/Senate PRIB)