WPS patrols
MORE and more Filipinos, including the ordinary citizens, believe that the West Philippine Sea (WPS) controversy must be carefully analyzed and handled with care.
As well-meaning Filipinos, we are concerned here with the interests of our countrymen whose cash and livelihood depend on fishing in the natural resources-rich WPS.
That’s why we cite the Philippine National Police (PNP) for its readiness to help in the enforcement of maritime laws in the WPS and our exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
The country’s premier law enforcement arm, the 200,000-strong PNP is civilian in nature but national in scope.
PNP chief Lt./Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar confirmed that the agency has been tapped by the government to boost maritime law enforcement patrols in the area.
The PNP, notably the Maritime Group, is ready to assist the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in patrolling the WPS.
“Despite our limitations when it comes to resources, we will make sure that it will not discourage and prevent us from asserting and fighting for what is ours,” said Eleazar.
The presence of more Filipinos in the WPS will send a strong message that the country is out to assert its sovereignty and rights, according to the highly-popular PNP general.
Guilor to friends, relatives and other aquaintances, the strict but fair PNP chief from Quezon province is a member of Class 1987 of the elite Philippine Military Academy.
Certainly, we cannot overemphasize the importance of protecting the interests of our hungry and beleaguered fishermen in our exclusive economic zone and the WPS.
