MANILA, Philippines – The newly formed West Philippine Sea (WPS) Coalition will hold rallies at noon on Wednesday, July 24, to protest China’s encroachment on Philippines territories.

In Makati City, protesters will stage a rally from 12 nn to 1 pm in front of the China consulate at the World Center along Gil Puyat Avenue.

In a post on its website, the US Pinoys for Good Governance, which is joining the rally, said the protest marks the first year since China placed West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) territories under the jurisdiction of its Sansha City prefecture.

READ: PH protests South China Sea ‘city’

The US Pinoys for Good Governance said protests will also happen in the following places:

• New York City, New York, USA – In front of United Nations, 1st Ave and 43rd Street
• San Francisco City, CA, USA – In front of China consulate, 1450 Laguna St, San Francisco, California
• Washington DC, USA – In front of the Chinese embassy, 3505 International Place, NW, Washington DC

The WPS Coalition said similar actions will happen in Canada, Australia, and Europe.

“This protest rally is only going to be the start of something that we intend to become bigger, not only in the Philippines but worldwide in order to tell the world about what’s happening in our backyard – the bullying being done by our big neighbor China,” former National Security Adviser Roilo Golez said in a press conference. (Watch more in the video below.)

Local celebrities will also join the protests.

READ: Coming up: Celebs sing for PH fight vs China aggression

The Philippine government, for its part, distanced itself from these privately organized protests. It said it is focusing on its case against China before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. 

In January, the Philippines filed an unprecedented case against China over their territorial dispute. The proceedings for this began earlier this month.

In his State of the Nation Address on Monday, July 22, however, President Benigno Aquino III made no mention of the Philippine-China dispute, in a move seen to defuse tension. – Rappler.com