Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela says supporting China’s claims in the West Philippine Sea at the expense of the Philippines’ sovereignty and sovereign rights amounts to “treason.”

“If you are undermining our own position, if you are defending the position of the People’s Republic of China, if you are advancing their interests, and at some point, questioning our own position, I don’t think this is a patriotic service to the Filipino people. This is actually treasonous. You are considered a traitor already,” Tarriela told reporters in a phone interview.

Under Philippine law, treason is the crime of “[levying] war against the Philippines or adheres to her enemies” during a state of war.

Tarriela made the comment following heated debates between officials in both the Senate and House of Representatives on the West Philippine Sea issue.

Sens. Francis Pangilinan and Rodante Marcoleta earlier this week clashed over the exact coordinates of the part of the South China Sea where the Philippines has sovereign rights.

But Tarriela stressed that the issue had long been settled by retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and legal experts, citing the 2016 Arbitral Award that favored the Philippines and invalidated China’s nine-dash line claims.

“The mere fact that this was already decided by the Arbitral Tribunal and we even recognized this as an arbitral award in favor of the Philippines, and debunking the nine-dash-line claim of the People’s Republic of China, there’s no reason for us to make an issue out of it,” the official said.

Tarriela also pointed to the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, which became law and formally defines the country’s maritime entitlements.

At the House of Representatives, two lawmakers clashed on Monday after one accused the other of “protecting China” in his privilege speech.

House Minority Leader Representative Marcelino Libanan of 4Ps Party-List called for government officials to be disciplined and profession when addressing sensitive foreign policies, including the West Philippine Sea.

Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez accused him of defending China despite aggressive actions against Philippine Coast Guard vessels and against Filipino fishers in the West Philippine Sea.