Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela on Tuesday criticized Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano over remarks made against him during the interpellation of proposed Senate Resolution No. 256, saying he was unfairly disrespected and maligned.
“I don’t think I have done anything wrong in the interest of the people to deserve being insulted and maligned by Sen. Cayetano,” Tarriela said in a radio interview on GMA’s “Unang Balita.”
Tarriela said Cayetano even suggested during the plenary debate that he remove his uniform.
“He said during the plenary debate that I should take off my uniform. That’s fine—I can take off my uniform; let’s debate and talk, but it should be no holds barred,” he said.
Tarriela’s remarks came a day after Cayetano figured in a heated exchange over the PCG official’s use of a caricature depicting Chinese President Xi Jinping during one of his speaking engagements.
On Monday, Cayetano also sparred with Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan ahead of the Senate’s adoption of Resolution No. 256, which denounces recent statements by the Chinese Embassy in Manila against Filipino government officials.
During the interpellation, Cayetano argued that the resolution should not be adopted if it appeared to support Tarriela’s actions and statements against Chinese officials.
“We cannot pass this resolution saying that Commodore Tarriela is correct because he’s wrong. If he simply said, ‘I love the Philippines, I will fight for our territory and our sovereign rights, I will do my duty—but sorry, I lost my temper and showed this, but this is not official,’ then that would be it,” Cayetano said.
“The author of this resolution is saying this is acceptable. If officials of the President are expected to observe decorum toward the President of China, it is supposedly acceptable for a general not to follow. What he is saying is that it is acceptable to insult the President of another country,” he added.
‘I don’t get his anger’
Tarriela said he could not understand Cayetano’s “anger,” especially since the senator previously served as Foreign Affairs Secretary during the Duterte administration.
“I don’t get Sen. Cayetano’s anger over the caricature. When was the last time he expressed such a passionate statement against the People’s Republic of China, or even issued a condemnation from his office?” Tarriela asked.
He also questioned Cayetano’s standard on diplomatic decorum, citing past incidents involving former President Rodrigo Duterte.
“When he was foreign affairs secretary, he talked about decorum and not mocking national leaders. What did he say when President Duterte mocked (then-US) President Obama or even made harsh remarks against the Pope? I don’t know what Sen. Cayetano’s standard is when it comes to China,” Tarriela said.
Tarriela clarified that the caricature was shown during a lecture to university students discussing incidents in the West Philippine Sea.
“There was no international audience. It was purely an academic discussion at a university,” he said.
Senate action
After nearly three hours of debate, the Senate amended and adopted the resolution, which had earlier been signed by 15 senators, mostly from the majority bloc.
The resolution urges the Department of Foreign Affairs to take the necessary diplomatic measures to uphold the dignity of the Philippines and ensure that relations with other states adhere to international law and established principles of state relations.
It also condemns recent public statements by the Chinese Embassy as “contrary to accepted standards of diplomatic conduct and mutual respect between states.”
