First word

IN December 2023, amid our people's joyous celebration of Christmas and the New Year, I seized the moment to nominate as the event and photo of the year the thrilling spectacle of a Filipino Coast Guard diving deep into the waters of the West Philippine Sea (aka the South China Sea) to sever a 1,000-foot floating barrier installed by China at the entrance to Scarborough Shoal to deny our people access to this traditional fishing ground. The feat was carried out on Sept. 22 and was photographed and recorded on video, a happenstance that enabled our coast guard to share with the nation and the whole world this awesome maritime vision.