Manila, Feb. 4 -- Senator Francis Pangilinan urged the Senate to sustain budget support for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), saying stronger funding is essential to enforcing the country's maritime rights in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) even as lawmakers weighed differing views on how to manage tensions with China.

Pangilinan raised the matter during interpellation on his proposed Senate Resolution No. 256 on Tuesday, which responds to statements by the Chinese Embassy in Manila against Philippine officials who have spoken out on incidents involving Filipino fisherfolk and uniformed personnel in the WPS.

"Pero kung mayroon tayong mas malawak na network at pondo para sa Coast Guard, isang c...