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Cristina Chi - Philstar.com
July 17, 2026 | 7:00am
In this photo uploaded on Facebook on June 13, 2026 shows Commodore Jay Tarriela during the Saturday News Forum.
Jay Tarriela via Facebook
MANILA, Philippines — Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela has cautioned local governments expecting visits from Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan, citing a controversy over Batanes that erupted weeks after the envoy toured the province.
"Sa mga LGU executives na bibisitahin ng Chinese Ambassador, please be careful and remember what happened to Batanes a month after his visit," Tarriela said in a Facebook post.
The remarks come amid the ongoing social media spat between Tarriela and the Chinese Embassy in Manila over the latter's claims in the West Philippine Sea, as well as the diplomat's June trip to Batanes and territorial claims floated by Chinese academics.
What happened in Batanes. Jing met Batanes Governor Ronald Aguto Jr. and Vice Governor Jhong Nanud from June 16 to 18 to discuss cooperation and development projects.
On June 30, scholars from Nanjing University, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and other institutions concluded at a symposium that the Batan Island is a "natural geographical extension" of Taiwan, with sovereignty belonging to China.
Tarriela linked the two events in a July 10 social media post, condemning the Chinese Communist Party for "spreading propaganda" that Batanes is part of China.
"The question now is whether his visit was truly made in goodwill — or whether he was surveying an island Beijing already intends to claim as its own," Tarriela said at the time.
However, the Chinese embassy took exception to the connection made by Tarriela.
Embassy Deputy Spokesperson Guo Wei accused Tarriela of having "deliberately linked the Ambassador's visit with some academic discussion and tried to create hostility between the Chinese and Filipino peoples."
The embassy has not categorically said whether the scholars' position reflects the Chinese government's.
At the same time, no Chinese government official has formally and openly asserted a claim over Batanes.
The DFA largely played down the claim in a statement, saying: "Flights of fancy should not be dignified with a response. Nevertheless, the Philippines' sovereignty over Batanes is settled and not up for debate."
