NO TO WATER CANNON USE
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will not use water cannons similar to how the China Coast Guard is doing against he Philippine Coast Guard vessels in the West Philippine Sea.
In an interview in Pasay City, Marcos said the mission of the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Coast Guard is not to increase the tension in the disputed waters.
“No. We are, what we are doing is defending our sovereign rights and our sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea,” Marcos said.
“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. So, no. That is not something that’s in the plan. We, the last thing we would like is to raise the tensions in the West Philippine Sea. That’s the last thing. And that we’ll certainly do that,” the President added.
Marcos said the mission of the Navy and the PCG is precisely the opposite.
“So, hindi natin gagawin. We will not follow the Chinese Coast Guard and the Chinese vessels down that road because it simply – it is not the mission of our Navy, our Coast Guard to start or to increase tensions,” Marcos said.
“That’s why hindi tayo – wala tayo – all we do is pagka-nangyayari wina-water cannon ‘yung mga barko natin ay nagpapadala tayo ng démarche, nagpapadala tayo ng sulat sa China and the other stakeholders. So, that would be the opposite of what we are trying to achieve. Would be to put, some kind of – any kind of canon on our ships,” Marcos explained.
Meanwhile, Senator Jose Jinggoy Estrada expressed strong support for President Marcos Jr. in his decision not to allow the Philippines to also use water cannons in response to the aggression of China in the West Phil Sea.
“I express my solidarity with the President regarding his firm decision to abstain from employing water cannons or any other offensive weapons as a countermeasure against China’s persistent aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea. Instead, it is our responsibility to remain steadfast in safeguarding our maritime and sovereign rights through a rule-based approach,” Estrada said in a statement.
Estrada said the move of the President against the bullying of China only shows that the Chief Executive will never resort to any aggressive act that will only add tension to the WPS issue.
He urged the Chief Executive to continue defending our sovereignty in the WPS, considering that the Arbitral ruling in International community in Hague, favors the Philippines in this issue.
“We must focus our efforts on ensuring the protection of our territorial and maritime interests by adhering to the principles of the rule of law. This entails the use of diplomatic channels and peaceful means of conflict resolution. By adhering to these principles, we can successfully safeguard our sovereign rights and protect our territorial integrity while maintaining a peaceful and stable environment in the region,” Estrada said. With Camille P. Balagtas
