Philippines must buy armaments, says Enrile

Chinese surveillance ships are seen off Scarborough Shoal in his undated file photo taken by the Philippine Navy and released by the Department of Foreign Affairs. AFP/DFA

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines should now buy armaments, Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile on Wednesday said amid warning from China it was fully ready for an escalation of a maritime standoff in the Scarborough Shoal.

“We must prepare. We better buy war equipment. We better buy our weapons, our means of defense,” Enrile told reporters.

The remark also came amid a reported growing number of Chinese vessels in the disputed shoal in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

“Anong gagawin mo kung ang kapitbahay mo, malayo ang bahay niya pero pupunta sa iyong kapaligiran at mayroon siyang espada, tampilan at pana o javelin? E di bumili ka rin ng tampilan. Maghasa ka rin ng gulok (What will you do if your neighbor, whose house was afar but encroaches on our area with spade, bolo and arrow or javelin? Then buy a machete. Sharpen your bolo),” he said.

Enrile protested the reported presence of Chinese vessels in Scarborough, saying China was already “grabbing” the shoal from the Philippines.

“We cannot get a TRO (temporary restraining order) from the International Court of Justice. Bahala na ang Department of Foreign Affairs doon (Let the Department of Foreign Affairs handle that),” said the Senate leader.

But Enrile said the presence of more Chinese vessels in the island, was “already an indication that China is grabbing the place from us.”

“Nagiging grabber na ang China (China is becoming a grabber),” Enrile added.

The military has reported that the number of Chinese vessels in the Scarborough Shoal has increased to 33, from 14 last week.

The row began a month ago when Chinese vessels blocked a Philippine warship from arresting crews of Chinese fishing boats near the Scarborough Shoal.

The two countries have since maintained ships in the shoal in an effort to assert their country’s sovereignty.

The Philippines says the shoal is well within the country’s 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone, as recognised by international law.

But China claims almost the whole of the West Philippine Sea as its historical territory, even waters close to other countries’ coasts and hundreds of kilometres from its own landmass. With Agence France-Presse