MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) will not use water cannons against the China Coast Guard (CCG) in order to remain professional, despite the latter’s latest move in Scarborough Shoal.
Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said this is in line with the directive of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
“The mere fact that the guidance of the President for the Philippine Coast Guard and the Armed Forces of the Philippines is for us to remain professional, not to be provoked, not to use water cannon against water cannon means that the administration values dealing with them professionally,” Tarriela said in a press conference.
Tarriela said the PCG would not give China a justification to escalate the tension in the sandbank further.
“We are not going to be the reason to escalate the tension, we are not going to be the reason to be an excuse for the Chinese government to bring in their warships and elevate the tension,” he pointed out.
On Tuesday, CCG vessels blasted the PCG’s BRP Bagacay and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources’ BRP Datu Bankaw with water cannons, causing significant damage to the said vessels.
READ: China water cannons 2 PH vessels in Scarborough Shoal anew
Tarriela said the PCG will not be “deterred” or “yield” to China despite what he deemed as “harassment and provocative action.”
READ: China used ‘very fatal’ water cannon pressure in latest assault—PCG
China seized control of Scarborough Shoal’s lagoon in 2012 after a CCG standoff with Philippine vessels.
Beijing asserts sovereignty in almost the entire South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, even if such a claim has been effectively invalidated by a July 2016 international tribunal ruling that stemmed from a case filed by Manila in 2013.
This landmark decision also included Scarborough Shoal, which was declared a traditional fishing ground that should be shared by the Philippines, China, and Vietnam.