Marcos thumbs down water cannon use in defending WPS

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday said the Philippine government will never resort to using water cannon in defending the country’s territory

In an ambush interview during the 2024 GOCC Day, Marcos said he does not want to aggravate the already tense situation in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) following the China Coast Guard's harassments on Philippine vessels, the latest of which took place last week and involved the use of water cannons. 

"No. We are...  what we are doing is defending our sovereign rights and our sovereignty in the WPS, and we have no intention of attacking anyone with water cannons or any other such offensive,'' Marcos said.

"The last thing we would like is to raise the tensions in the WPS. That's the last,'' the President added, noting that Philippine forces will ''not follow the Chinese Coast Guard and the Chinese vessels.''

Authorities said last week's water cannon attack by China in Scarborough Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc, had caused damage to Philippine vessels bringing food and fuel to fishermen in the area.

The Philippine Navy earlier said around 1,000 civilian boats should be deployed in the resource-rich region to match the number of Chinese maritime militia vessels in the area.

Following the latest Chinese aggression, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III and Senator Robin Padilla suggested the use of water cannons to counter China's attacks. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), for its part, summoned Chinese Embassy to Manila Deputy Chief of Mission Zhou Zhiyong over the latest water cannon incident in Scarborough Shoal.

The DFA also "protested the harassment, ramming, swarming, shadowing, blocking, use of water cannons, and other aggressive actions by the China Coast Guard and Chinese Maritime Militia against Philippine vessels."

It "demanded that Chinese vessels leave Bajo de Masinloc and its vicinity immediately."

The Philippines and China have repeatedly locked horns in recent months at the submerged reef, which Manila says is in its exclusive economic zone.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 said China's claims had no legal basis. Beijing, however, refused to recognize the ruling.  —KBK, GMA Integrated News