The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) won’t be provoked by China’s aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), a PCG official said on Saturday.

In a news forum in Quezon City, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the West Philippine Sea Transparency Office of the PCG, brushed off public criticisms regarding PCG’s response to China’s recent provocative action in WPS.

He said the Coast Guard personnel have a chain of command to follow.

“We have a chain of command. We respect the guidance of our President. The guidance of the President is that we should not be provoked, we should not be the reason of intensifying the escalation for China to justify to once again bring the next level of aggression kung anuman ang plano nilang gawin,” Tarriela said.

He said the Coast Guard personnel share the level of emotion the public is experiencing.

“But we cannot do otherwise because we have to comply and we know for a fact ? we trust our Commander-in-Chief, the National Task Force-West Philippine Sea, of course the National Security Adviser ? but we have to maintain professionalism in dealing with this kind of bullying of the Chinese Coast Guard,” he explained.

The PCG official said it’s unfair to describe the Coast Guard personnel as cowards, noting “we are just doing our patriotic duty.”

China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels blasted water cannons against PCG’s BRP Bagacay and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources’ BRP Datu Bankaw last April 30, causing over P2 million in damages. Presidential News Desk