The Commission on Appointments deferred action on proposed corrections to its February 4 minutes after Sen. Rodante Marcoleta sought to remove and replace a portion summarizing his earlier remarks on the West Philippine Sea.
The issue surfaced during Wednesday’s hearing on the appointments of 81 senior and flag officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), when Marcoleta formally objected to how his interpellation had been recorded. He asked that a specific section — covering his exchange with Captain Jess B. Pilar — be deleted and substituted with a revised account.
In his manifestation, Marcoleta underscored the importance of ensuring that official records accurately capture statements made during proceedings.
“These are not meaningless documentation or records, but become part of this Commission’s history and legacy. On this note, I would like to make the following corrections on the draft minutes: from page 7, third to the last paragraph, until page 8, 4th paragraph, delete the entire portion pertaining to my interpellation with Captain Jess B. Pilar,” said Marcoleta.
He maintained that the proposed revisions were not meant to alter the substance of the hearing but to correct what he described as mischaracterizations in the draft minutes.
“The integrity of our institutional processes depends upon the reliability of our official documents, and any material mischaracterization, however unintended, must be rectified. In view of the foregoing, I respectfully move that the proposed minutes be amended, and that the revised minutes be adopted in the interest of accuracy, fairness, and safekeeping of accurate legislative record,” he said.
The replacement text he submitted recounts his views on the West Philippine Sea controversy, including his reference to public statements made by Commodore Jay Tristan Tarriela about Chinese President Xi Jinping and related caricatures that reportedly drew objection from the Chinese Embassy. According to the proposed revision, Marcoleta questioned whether any policy allows foreign heads of state to be satirized or vilified in such a manner, to which Captain Pilar replied that none exists.
The revised passage also details Marcoleta’s citation of a Department of Foreign Affairs letter to Sen. Risa Hontiveros, emphasizing that state disputes are best addressed through diplomatic channels and that public escalation should serve clear strategic objectives. He then asked what national interest had been advanced by Tarriela’s actions, with Pilar responding that the AFP was asserting rights over Philippine seas under domestic law.
The senator’s proposed version further outlines his explanation of distinctions between the West Philippine Sea and the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), as well as his position that certain features of the Kalayaan Island Group — Pag-asa, Parola, Kota, and Lankiam — lie beyond the Philippines’ EEZ and, as rocks, do not generate their own EEZs. He also referred to Republic Act No. 9552 and Administrative Order No. 29 (2012), raising concerns about legal complexities in mapping and depositing claims under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
During the same hearing, Sen. Risa Hontiveros flagged time constraints, noting that the extensive revisions required more discussion than the session could accommodate.
Commission on Appointments Majority Floor Leader Rep. JJ Romualdo said the matter would need to be taken up at a later hearing.
“We need more time for this to tackle these correction[s] of the minutes of the last hearing,” he said.
