Latest news with #JonathanMalaya
GMA Network
26-05-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
Fun run for West PH Sea set for July 27 at Quirino Grandstand
National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya (center) and Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela (second from right) pose during the event announcing the fun run, on Monday, May 26, 2025. Joviland Rita/GMA Integrated News A fun run that will benefit an awareness campaign about the West Philippine Sea will be held at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila on July 27, 2025, its organizer Runrio Inc. said on Monday. 'We believe that running is a powerful platform to encourage and promote community spirit and national unity. Our aim really is to encourage public support and create awareness about the importance of safeguarding our maritime rights and resources,' Runrio general manager Andrew Neri said in a press conference. 'This is also in parallel to or in support of the national government's transparency strategy to combat misinformation, disinformation, and of course, information manipulation,' he added. Last year, the first fun run for the WPS attracted around 7,000 participants. 'The proceeds of this race will be used for the educational campaign, particularly for us to produce more of the comic books which is entitled Mga Kwento ni Teacher Jun that tackles key issues of the West Philippine Sea,' Neri said. Neri said there will be three categories for the fun run: 10, five, and three kilometers. For the early bird registrants, the prices will be up to P1,900 only until June 16. Among the partner agencies for the fun run are the National Task Force for West Philippine Sea (NTF WPS), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Philippine Information Agency (PIA), and the National Youth Commission. Tensions continue as Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. Parts of the South China Sea that fall within Philippine territory have been renamed by the government as West Philippine Sea to reinforce the country's claim. The West Philippine Sea refers to the maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago including Luzon Sea and the waters around, within and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had "no legal basis." China has refused to recognize the decision. — BM, GMA Integrated News
Saudi Gazette
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
An island called Hope is standing up to Beijing in the South China Sea
PAGASA ISLAND — At just 37 hectares, the Philippines-controlled island of Pagasa – or "hope" – is barely big enough to live on. There is almost nothing there. The 300 or so inhabitants live in a cluster of small, wooden houses. They fish in the clear, turquoise waters, and grow what vegetables they can in the sandy ground. But they are not alone in these disputed waters: just off shore, to the west, lies an armada of ships. These are all Chinese, from the navy, the coastguard or the so-called maritime militia – large fishing vessels repurposed to maintain Chinese dominance of this sea. As our plane approached the island we counted at least 20. For the past 10 years, China has been expanding its presence in the South China Sea, taking over submerged coral reefs, building three large air bases on them, and deploying hundreds of ships, to reinforce its claim to almost all of the strategic sea lanes running south from the great exporting cities on the Chinese coast. Few of the South East Asian countries which also claim islands in the same sea have dared to push back against China; only Vietnam and the Philippines have done so. The militaries of both countries are much smaller than China's, but they are holding on to a handful of reefs and – also known as Thitu and other names, as it is claimed by several other countries – is the largest of makes it exceptional, though, is the civilian population, found nowhere else on the islands of the South China Sea. From the point of view of the Philippines this, and the fact that Pagasa is solid land, not a partially submerged reef or sandy cay, strengthens its legal claims in the area."Pagasa is very important to us," Jonathan Malaya, assistant director-general of the Philippines National Security Council, tells the BBC."It has a runway. It can support life – it has a resident Filipino community, and fishermen living there."And given the size of the island, one of the few that did not need reclaiming from the sea, under international law it generates its own territorial sea of 12 nautical miles."So it is, in a way, a linchpin for the Philippine presence."Reaching Pagasa is a two-to-three-day boat ride from the Philippines island of Palawan, or a one-hour plane ride, but both are at the mercy of frequent stormy they surfaced the runway two years ago, and lengthened it to 1,300m (4,600ft), only small planes could land. Now they can bring in big C130 transport aircraft. Traveling in them, as we did, is a bit like riding a bus in rush has to be brought from the mainland, which is why our plane was packed, floor to ceiling, with mattresses, eggs, bags of rice, a couple of motorbikes and piles of luggage – not to mention lots of military personnel, most of whom had to stand for the entire flight.A lot has changed in recent years. There is a new hangar, big enough to shelter aircraft during storms. They are building a control tower and dredging a small harbor to allow bigger boats to dock. We were driven around the island by some of the Philippines marines who are stationed there, though given its size it hardly seemed necessaryThe Philippines seized Pagasa from Taiwan in 1971, when the Taiwanese garrison left it during a typhoon. It was formally annexed by the Philippines in the government started encouraging civilians to settle there. But they need support to survive on this remote sliver of land. Families get official donations of food, water and other groceries every month. They now have electricity and mobile phone connectivity, but that only came four years from government jobs, fishing is the only viable way to make a living, and since the arrival of the Chinese flotillas even that has become Larry Hugo has lived on the island for 16 years, and has chronicled the increasing Chinese control of the area. He filmed the initial construction on Subi Reef, around 32km (20 miles) from Pagasa, which eventually became a full-size military air base. One of his videos, showing his little wooden boat being nearly rammed by a Chinese coastguard ship in 2021 made him a minor Chinese harassment has forced him to fish in a smaller area closer to home."Their ships are huge compared to ours. They threaten us, coming close and sounding their horns to chase us away. They really scare us. So I no longer go to my old fishing grounds further away. I now have to fish close to the island, but the fish stocks here are falling, and it is much harder to fill our tubs like we used to."Realyn Limbo has been a teacher on the island for 10 years, and seen the school grow from a small hut to full-size school teaching more than 100 pupils, from kindergarten to 18 years old."To me this island is like paradise," she says. "All our basic needs are taken care of. It is clean and peaceful – the children can play basketball or go swimming after school. We don't need shopping malls or all that materialism."Pagasa is really quiet. In the fierce midday heat we found most people snoozing in hammocks, or playing music on their porches. We came across Melania Alojado, a village health worker, rocking a small baby to help it sleep."The biggest challenge for us is when people, especially children, fall ill," she says."If it is serious then we need to evacuate them to the mainland. I am not a registered nurse, so I cannot perform complicated medical tasks. But planes are not always available, and sometimes the weather is too rough to travel."When that happens we just have to care for them as best we can."But she too values the tranquillity of island life. "We are free of many stresses. We get subsidized food, and we can grow some of our own. In the big city everything you do needs money."We saw a few new houses being built, but there really isn't room for Pagasa to accommodate many more people. With very few jobs, young people usually leave the island once they finish school. For all of its sleepy charm, and stunning white-sand beaches, it has the feel of a garrison community, holding the line against the overpowering Chinese presence which is clearly visible just offshore."The Chinese at the airbase on Subi Reef always challenge us when we approach Pagasa," the pilot says. "They always warn us we are entering Chinese territory without permission."Do they ever try to stop you? "No, it's a routine. We tell them this is Philippines territory. We do this every time."Jonathan Malaya says his government has made a formal diplomatic protest every week to the Chinese Embassy over the presence of its ships in what the Philippines views as the territorial waters of Pagasa. This is in marked contrast to the previous administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, which avoided confrontations with China in the hope of getting more investment in the Philippines."I think we will get more respect from China if we hold our ground, and show them we can play this game as well. But the problem of democracies like the Philippines is policies can change with new administrations. China does not have that problem." — BBC
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
An island called Hope is standing up to Beijing in the South China Sea
At just 37 hectares, the Philippines-controlled island of Pagasa – or "hope" - is smaller than Buckingham Palace. There is almost nothing there. The 300 or so inhabitants live in a cluster of small, wooden houses. They fish in the clear, turquoise waters, and grow what vegetables they can in the sandy ground. But they are not alone in these disputed waters: just off shore, to the west, lies an armada of ships. These are all Chinese, from the navy, the coastguard or the so-called maritime militia – large fishing vessels repurposed to maintain Chinese dominance of this sea. As our plane approached the island we counted at least 20. For the past 10 years, China has been expanding its presence in the South China Sea, taking over submerged coral reefs, building three large air bases on them, and deploying hundreds of ships, to reinforce its claim to almost all of the strategic sea lanes running south from the great exporting cities on the Chinese coast. Few of the South East Asian countries which also claim islands in the same sea have dared to push back against China; only Vietnam and the Philippines have done so. The militaries of both countries are much smaller than China's, but they are holding on to a handful of reefs and islands. Pagasa – also known as Thitu and other names, as it is claimed by several other countries – is the largest of these. What makes it exceptional, though, is the civilian population, found nowhere else on the islands of the South China Sea. From the point of view of the Philippines this, and the fact that Pagasa is solid land, not a partially submerged reef or sandy cay, strengthens its legal claims in the area. "Pagasa is very important to us," Jonathan Malaya, assistant director-general of the Philippines National Security Council, tells the BBC. "It has a runway. It can support life – it has a resident Filipino community, and fishermen living there. "And given the size of the island, one of the few that did not need reclaiming from the sea, under international law it generates its own territorial sea of 12 nautical miles. "So it is, in a way, a linchpin for the Philippine presence." Reaching Pagasa is a two-to-three-day boat ride from the Philippines island of Palawan, or a one-hour plane ride, but both are at the mercy of frequent stormy weather. Until they surfaced the runway two years ago, and lengthened it to 1,300m (4,600ft), only small planes could land. Now they can bring in big C130 transport aircraft. Travelling in them, as we did, is a bit like riding a bus in rush hour. Everything has to be brought from the mainland, which is why our plane was packed, floor to ceiling, with mattresses, eggs, bags of rice, a couple of motorbikes and piles of luggage – not to mention lots of military personnel, most of whom had to stand for the entire flight. A lot has changed in recent years. There is a new hangar, big enough to shelter aircraft during storms. They are building a control tower and dredging a small harbour to allow bigger boats to dock. We were driven around the island by some of the Philippines marines who are stationed there, though given its size it hardly seemed necessary The Philippines seized Pagasa from Taiwan in 1971, when the Taiwanese garrison left it during a typhoon. It was formally annexed by the Philippines in 1978. Later, the government started encouraging civilians to settle there. But they need support to survive on this remote sliver of land. Families get official donations of food, water and other groceries every month. They now have electricity and mobile phone connectivity, but that only came four years ago. Aside from government jobs, fishing is the only viable way to make a living, and since the arrival of the Chinese flotillas even that has become difficult. Fisherman Larry Hugo has lived on the island for 16 years, and has chronicled the increasing Chinese control of the area. He filmed the initial construction on Subi Reef, around 32km (20 miles) from Pagasa, which eventually became a full-size military air base. One of his videos, showing his little wooden boat being nearly rammed by a Chinese coastguard ship in 2021 made him a minor celebrity. But Chinese harassment has forced him to fish in a smaller area closer to home. "Their ships are huge compared to ours. They threaten us, coming close and sounding their horns to chase us away. They really scare us. So I no longer go to my old fishing grounds further away. I now have to fish close to the island, but the fish stocks here are falling, and it is much harder to fill our tubs like we used to." Realyn Limbo has been a teacher on the island for 10 years, and seen the school grow from a small hut to full-size school teaching more than 100 pupils, from kindergarten to 18 years old. "To me this island is like paradise," she says. "All our basic needs are taken care of. It is clean and peaceful – the children can play basketball or go swimming after school. We don't need shopping malls or all that materialism." Pagasa is really quiet. In the fierce midday heat we found most people snoozing in hammocks, or playing music on their porches. We came across Melania Alojado, a village health worker, rocking a small baby to help it sleep. "The biggest challenge for us is when people, especially children, fall ill," she says. "If it is serious then we need to evacuate them to the mainland. I am not a registered nurse, so I cannot perform complicated medical tasks. But planes are not always available, and sometimes the weather is too rough to travel. "When that happens we just have to care for them as best we can." But she too values the tranquillity of island life. "We are free of many stresses. We get subsidised food, and we can grow some of our own. In the big city everything you do needs money." We saw a few new houses being built, but there really isn't room for Pagasa to accommodate many more people. With very few jobs, young people usually leave the island once they finish school. For all of its sleepy charm, and stunning white-sand beaches, it has the feel of a garrison community, holding the line against the overpowering Chinese presence which is clearly visible just offshore. "The Chinese at the airbase on Subi Reef always challenge us when we approach Pagasa," the pilot says. "They always warn us we are entering Chinese territory without permission." Do they ever try to stop you? "No, it's a routine. We tell them this is Philippines territory. We do this every time." Jonathan Malaya says his government has made a formal diplomatic protest every week to the Chinese Embassy over the presence of its ships in what the Philippines views as the territorial waters of Pagasa. This is in marked contrast to the previous administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, which avoided confrontations with China in the hope of getting more investment in the Philippines. "I think we will get more respect from China if we hold our ground, and show them we can play this game as well. But the problem of democracies like the Philippines is policies can change with new administrations. China does not have that problem." 'Close enough to see their faces': Chased down by China in South China Sea Cat-and-mouse chase with China in hotly contested sea What is the South China Sea dispute? The paradise islands caught in the US-China crosshairs
Time of India
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
China, Philippines spar over a sandbar in SCS
On Sunday, Philippines deployed its personnel to Sandy Cay in SCS A tiny sandbar in the disputed South China Sea has become the latest flashpoint in tensions between China and the Philippines, with each side displaying its flag to reinforce competing claims on the island. Earlier this month, members of the Chinese Coast Guard landed on the disputed reef, Sandy Cay , unfurled a flag and 'exercised sovereign jurisdiction ,' Chinese state media reported Thursday. They left the island by Sunday, when the Philippines deployed its own personnel to the sandbar. Hours later, Beijing called the act an 'illegal boarding', saying it had 'indisputable sovereignty' over Spratly Islands, a chain of dozens of slivers of land, including Sandy Cay, in South China Sea, and its surrounding waters. The standoff comes days after allies the US and the Philippines began their annual joint military drills in the Philippines, which China has criticised as undermining regional stability. On Monday morning, Jonathan Malaya, assistant director general of the Philippines' national security council, pushed back on China's claim that Beijing had seized the reef and urged it to 'act with restraint and not increase tensions' in South China Sea. 'It is not to the benefit of any nation if these things are happening, nor is it to the benefit of any nation if such irresponsible statements are released.' Beijing claims about 90% of South China Sea, parts of which are also claimed by Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Yomiuri Shimbun
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
China and Philippines Use Their Flags to Stake out Competing Claims in the South China Sea
National Task Force West Philippine Sea via AP Philippine Coast Guard and Philippine National Police – Maritime Group, hold the Philippine flag as they visit Sandy Cay 2 at the South China Sea on Sunday April 27, 2025. BEIJING (AP) — The Philippines on Monday rejected China's claim to a group of three sandbars in the South China Sea, after recent displays by both sides of their national flags on the uninhabited outcroppings. The back and forth over Sandy Cay is the latest flare-up in a long-running dispute over territory in the hotly contested South China Sea, which China claims almost in its entirety. The flare-up began last week when a Chinese state-owned newspaper posted exclusive photos of coast guard officers on Sandy Cay from mid-April, including one of them holding up a Chinese flag. Three days later, a joint Philippines coast guard, navy and maritime police team headed on Sunday to the three sandbars and posed for a photo holding up their national flag. 'This operation reflects the unwavering dedication and commitment of the Philippine Government to uphold the country's sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea,' a government statement said. It was posted on X with a video and photos, including one showing team members holding up the Philippine flag. The Chinese coast guard described the Philippine landing as 'illegal' and said that Chinese officers had gone ashore 'to conduct on-site verification and enforcement measures.' It didn't specify what those steps entailed. The sandbars are in the Spratly islands between Philippine-occupied Thitu Island and Subi Reef, which China has transformed into a base with a military-grade runway and buildings with communications facilities. China's state-owned Global Times newspaper, which published the photos of coast guard officers on the sandbars earlier this month, said they had picked up plastic bottles and other debris and displayed the Chinese national flag 'to assert sovereignty.' Jonathan Malaya, the assistant director general of the Philippine National Security Council, said Monday that there is no truth to claims that China has seized the sandbars. He attributed the claims to the Chinese coast guard, though the agency has not said anything about the mid-April landing described in the Global Times report, and later by the military channel of state broadcaster CCTV. 'We urge the People's Republic of China and the Chinese Coast Guard to act with restraint and not increase tensions in the West Philippine Sea,' Malaya told a news conference, The two countries have jostled previously over Sandy Cay, known as Tiexian Reef in Chinese and Pag-asa Cays in the Philippines. In January, the Chinese coast guard and a naval helicopter drove away a group of Philippines fisheries ships that were attempting to conduct a scientific survey around Sandy Cay. Philippine government vessels brought scientists to Sandy Cay in March of last year for marine research despite repeated warnings by Chinese coast guard ships. Chinese officials accused the Philippine military of attempting to build a structure on one of the sandbars in 2017.
