PH refusal to use water cannons proves peace efforts in WPS

PRO-PEACE. Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela during the Kapihan sa Manila Hotel media forum on April 12, 2024. Tarriela said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s refusal to use water cannons against China shows the country’s peace-keeping efforts in the West Philippine Sea. (PNA photo by Yancy Lim)

MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s refusal to use water cannons is proof that the country does not wish to escalate tensions in the West Philippine Sea, an official of the National Task Force for the WPS (NTF-WPS) said Monday.

NTF-WPS spokesperson, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commodore Jay Tarriela said the mission of the Philippine Navy and the PCG vessels in the WPS is merely to maintain the country’s presence in the region and assert the country’s sovereignty, “not to cause damage to other vessels that would potentially escalate tension.”

“How can the pro-China trolls explain why [Marcos] will not allow the PCG to use water cannons if they claim that he wants to engage in war and escalate tension in the WPS?” he said in a statement posted over X.

He said the threat of war with China is merely a “pro-China narrative of threatening the Filipino people” based on “lies and misinformation they are spreading to confuse and mislead.

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“Their true intention is to make us submissive and silent in the face of the illegal presence, provocative actions, and bullying tactics of the China Coast Guard and Chinese Maritime Militia against the Filipino fishermen, the PCG and even the AFP,” he said.

On Monday, Marcos said the Philippines has no intention of “attacking anyone with water cannons or with such offensive weapons” in an interview on the sidelines of the 2024 Government-Owned and -Controlled Corporations Day at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

Using water cannons would only increase regional tension and that the country “will not follow the CCG and other Chinese vessels down that road”, he said.

On April 30, the PCG’s BRP Bagacay and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel BRP Bankaw were on a routine humanitarian mission to distribute food and other supplies to Filipino fishermen near Bajo de Masinloc when they encountered at least 10 Chinese ships.

Both Philippine vessels were attacked with water cannons and were repeatedly blocked through dangerous maneuvers by the Chinese vessels.