By AFP and Focus | 2026-02-23

THITU ISLAND, the Philippines -- A Philippine senator called for more extensive defense relationships and "continuous" pushback against China's claims in the South China Sea while visiting one of Manila's tiny possessions in the disputed waterway on February 21.

Thitu Island, known as Pag-asa in the Philippines, is home to about 400 Filipinos, mostly fishermen and their families. China accuses them of living there illegally. It lies about 450km west of Palawan within the disputed Spratly island chain, a group of more than 700 islets, reefs and atolls that may sit above vast natural resources.

Senator Risa Hontiveros, an outspoken critic of China, told AFP on February 21 she believed Filipinos were not ready to give up "any portion of the West Philippine Sea," using Manila's favored term for the waters off its western seaboard.

'Continuous pushback' urged

"We need continuous diplomatic and political pushback," Hontiveros said after a plane journey of more than two hours with local journalists.

While welcoming the strengthening of the Philippines' treaty relationship with the United States in recent years, Hontiveros said Manila hoped to bring even more "like-minded nations" into the fold. "We need to continuously develop our security and defense relations with (other countries), including joint patrols," she said.

An AFP journalist who flew to Thitu Island aboard a second plane saw Chinese navy and coast guard vessels patrolling near the island.

Hontiveros, who noted that symbols on her cell phone screen changed to Chinese characters before she landed, said she was bringing essential goods and medical services to support the island's development.

The Chinese embassy in Manila did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

Hontiveros's visit occurred as officials in Manila discussed how to defend the Kalayaan Island Group, which includes Thitu. Senators traded barbs with the Chinese embassy in recent weeks, while other high-ranking officials signaled their intent to bolster the island’s presence.

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson said he wanted to revisit Thitu if transportation and the Senate schedule allow, saying the island still has "deficiencies" in infrastructure, particularly in education. He was last there in 2021.

Fears of Chinese intrusion or invasion

Echoing the need for a firm stance, Lacson said it was "incumbent upon us, especially the Armed Forces, to protect and defend Pag-asa from either intrusion and, worst scenario, invasion," the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported February 21.

Separately, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said it has personnel on Thitu and will focus on internal security, public safety and peace and order, while the military leads external defense. PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said his force was coordinating with the military, the coast guard, the island's government and other agencies on protection and emergency response planning, the Inquirer reported earlier in February.

Asked about the possibility of a US-China conflict over neighboring Taiwan, Hontiveros said the Philippines should be "very concerned," noting the proximity of its northernmost Batanes chain to Taiwan.

China considers the self-ruled island part of its territory and has threatened to seize it by force.

"We have a lot of countrymen working there [in Taiwan]," Hontiveros said. "All the more that we should be proactive to... insist on a peaceful resolution of conflicts."