PH mission is to lower WPS tensions
THE Philippines has become the much bigger nation than China with the way its handling the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issues.
This can be gleaned particularly on how President Marcos responded to calls for the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to fight back with water cannons against Chinese Coast Guard using water cannons on Philippine vessels.
Instead of retaliating, the Chief Executive is resorting to a démarche to avoid raising tensions in WPS. A démarche is a diplomatic gesture to state a government’s position on an issue or subject.
Clearly, our leader, true to being a statesman, is not inclined to follow China’s questionable ways in settling disputes.
President Marcos Jr. stood firm the Philippines will not resort into equipping the Philippine vessels with water cannons similar to how the CCG is doing against the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels in WPS.
He said the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) will continue to lower tensions in the WPS.
“We will not follow the CCG and the Chinese vessels down that road because it is not the mission of Navy, our Coast Guard to start, or to increase tensions,” President Marcos said. “Their mission is precisely the opposite, it’s to lower tensions,” he added.
President Marcos made the remarks when asked if he will approve proposals to equip Philippine vessels with water cannon in response to the aggressive attacks by the CCG against the country’s vessels.
The President stood firm that the Philippines will continue defending the sovereign rights and its sovereignty in all diplomatic forms.
“What we are doing is defending our sovereign rights and our sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea. And we have no intention of attacking anyone with water cannons or any other such offensive…I would have to call them weapon dahil nakaka-damage na,” President Marcos said.
“All we do is pagka-nangyayari wina-water cannon ‘yung mga barko natin ay nagpapadala tayo ng démarche, nagpapdala tayo ng sulat sa China and the other stakeholders,” he added.
The CCG recently used a “jet stream pressure” water cannon against the Philippine vessels on routine humanitarian mission to Bajo de Masinloc.
While President Marcos emphasized that the Philippines will not use any “offensive weapon” against anyone, he said “the last thing” that the government would do “is to raise the tensions in the WP.”
In contrast, China has been relentless in its aggressive actions in WPS, using water cannons at Philippines vessels and seemingly unmindful of the dangerous consequences of its activities in the contested waters.
One can surmise China is not behaving like a superpower.
**
For comments, please call or text 09569012811 or email [email protected]
