Retaliation with water cannon vs China may cause escalation – Tolentino

Sen. Francis Tolentino–(Voltaire F. Domingo / Senate Social Media Unit)

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Francis Tolentino on Friday said China may decide to escalate the tension if the Philippines retaliated with their use of water cannons.

“They might escalate into something, elevate it into something greater than [a] water cannon,” Tolentino said in an online interview.

“Hindi umubra ‘yung laser noon. Didn’t work. Napunta sa water cannoning, so baka mag-escalate naman sila ng iba,” he also said. (The lasers did not do anything. Didn’t work. They now turned to water cannoning, so they may do other things to escalate the situation.)

Tolentino was referring to an incident last February 2023 when a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel supporting a rotation and resupply mission of the Philippine Navy in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal were targeted with military-grade lasers.

On Tuesday, China Coast Guard (CCG) directly hit a PCG vessel with a water cannon in Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal on Tuesday, in the latest usage of a device which Filipino officials said shot a “very fatal” water pressure this time.

“It has been a natural pattern, trend, on the part of China to react whenever there is a perceived, what they perceive to be something wrong being done to them which is not correct,” Tolentino said of China’s latest water cannon assault.

Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said the government ruled out the usage of water cannon, saying it may give China a pretext to escalate and deploy its warships in Panatag Shoal.

READ: PCG’s no water cannon rule vs China is a ‘wise policy’– security experts

Tolentino said the usage of water cannons now depends on the prerogative of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

Asked to react to the possibility that China may deploy warships in case of an escalation, Tolentino said: “May warships din naman tayo eh.” (We also have warships).