Who’s the worst violator of Philippine territory?

It’s not the Chinese. That’s the near- unanimous answer of Filipinos, especially with China threatening sanctions after the Philippines was to have filed its pleading for the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) to rule on the validity of Beijing’s nine-dash claim over the South China Sea and its islands, shoals and resources.

The latest diplomatic test of wills comes on the heels of another confrontation at sea. Weeks ago, the Chinese coast guard turned away Philippine boats carrying supplies for a marine detachment aboard the beached warship Sierra Madre in disputed Ayungin or Second Thomas Shoal. That forced the Philippines to airdrop food and water before another supply sailing finally slipped through the Chinese blockade over the weekend.