"Tensions Rise as Philippines Prepares to Assert South China Sea Rights"

Indigenous people in the northernmost Philippine province of Batanes, particularly on the island of Itbayat, are preparing to defend their community and country amid rising tensions in the South China Sea. With China's aggressive posture and the Philippines accusing China of attacking its boat, the Philippine military is bolstering its defence of Batanes and has called on the Indigenous Ivatans to join the country’s reserve forces, with 119 residents, including Cyrus Malupa, joining the Navy reserve forces in March.