By Priam Nepomuceno
MANILA – The Philippines cannot be tagged as a troublemaker for standing up for its maritime rights, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Tuesday.
“When you stand up for your maritime rights that are legally and rightfully yours, you are not a troublemaker,” retired Navy reservist Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, AFP spokesperson for the WPS, said in a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
He said countries trying to occupy Philippine territory and sowing false narratives to justify their actions are creating trouble not only for the country but also for the region.
“When another country would like to occupy your territory, would like to sow false narratives to advance their interests, they are creating trouble, not only domestically, but in the region,” Trinidad said, referring to the country’s ongoing maritime spat with China over the WPS.
Likewise, the AFP spokesperson said China’s coercive and illegal actions will not deter the Philippines from standing up for its rights.
“The objective of all of these actions and messages is to weaken our national resolve such that we would accept the new reality that we will not have to patrol because they are out there,” Trinidad said.
He also assured the public that the AFP will keep performing its maritime patrols and air flights over Philippine territory to highlight its sovereignty and sovereign rights. (PNA)
‘NOT A TROUBLEMAKER’. Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad holds a media briefing at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Tuesday (Oct. 13, 2026). He said the Philippines cannot be tagged as a troublemaker for standing up for its maritime rights.
