THITU ISLAND, South China Sea ¨C As the Philippine Coast Guard plane descended toward the country¡¯s most strategically important outpost in the disputed South China Sea, passengers¡¯ phones lit up with a roaming alert: ¡°Welcome to CHINA.¡±
Among those on board were Senator Risa Hontiveros and Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela, both outspoken ?critics of Beijing¡¯s actions in the South China Sea.
After landing on Saturday, they spoke to island residents to reaffirm ?that Thitu ?Island ¡°is ours,¡± even as Chinese Coast Guard vessels, a People¡¯s Liberation Army Navy ship, ?and some Chinese fishing boats lingered within sight of the shore.
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