Cmdre. Jay Tarriela, spokesman for the National Task Force-West Philippine Sea, presents the results of a Marine Resources Assessment conducted on Pag-asa Island in March. In a press conference on Saturday, May 4, 2024, Tarriela, along with Jay Batongbacal, a maritime law expert, and Dr. Jonathan Anticamara of the University of the Philippines Institute of Biology, said that the island near the WPS was in a 'degraded' state with low coral and fish diversity and abundance. While the findings did not explicitly identify China as the responsible party, 'only China has access, with its Coast Guard and Maritime Militia frequently observed swarming the area,' said Tarriela.
Video by John Orven Verdote