Francis Tolentino pays tribute to PH troops, fisherfolk

Majority Leader Francis “Tol” Tolentino (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)

MANILA, Philippines — Incumbent senator and reelectionist Francis Tolentino has once again expressed his gratitude to the fisherfolk, and Philippine troops for standing up against the Chinese aggressions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

During the Miting de Avance of the administration-backed Alyansa slate on Friday, Tolentino said that their hard work is significant for the country’s development.

“I am paying tribute to the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard, and PNP Maritime Group for their everyday hardship in facing aggressions and bullying of China in the West Philippine Sea,” Tolentino said in Filipino during his speech.

China has repeatedly disregarded the Philippines’ victory in the 2016 international tribunal ruling over the ownership in the South China Sea.

READ: Marcos signs laws charting PH maritime zones, sea lanes

“I am also saluting our fisherfolk for their everyday sacrifices, not just for their families, but for the Filipino people,” Tolentino added in Filipino.

Philippine Maritime Zones Act (Republic Act 12064), principally authored by Tolentino, aims to declare the country’s maritime zones in line with standards set by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Tolentino previously said that the WPS will be “formally defined and enshrined for the first time in national legislation. Consider this as the ‘birth certificate’ of the WPS.”

READ: Tolentino bares evidence of China troll farm to discredit PH gov’t

During a previous hearing of the Senate panel on Philippine Maritime and Admiralty Zones, Tolentino revealed alleged ties of the Chinese Embassy to the Philippines to operations of troll farms in the country.

The senator presented evidence of an alleged service agreement of the Chinese embassy in Manila and Infinitus Marketing Solutions, a Filipino-based corporation in the country. /jpv