Phl won't use water cannons, invites China to talks

The Philippines has no plans of "attacking anyone with water cannons or any other offensive," President Marcos said yesterday in the wake of the most serious act yet by the Chinese against Filipino vessels in Philippine waters.

- HELEN FLORES and JANVIC MATEO

Marcos made the remark days after China Coast Guard ships used high-pressure water cannons to try to stop Philippine vessels on routine humanitarian mission to Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal last April 30.

"We will not follow the Chinese Coast Guard and the Chinese vessels down that road," the President told reporters in an interview in Pasay City, "What we are doing is defending our sovereign rights and our sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea. And we have no intention of attacking anyone with water cannons or any other such offensive... I would have to call them weapons as these were causing damage already," Marcos pointed out.

One of his ranking security officials said Beijing should accept the Philippines' standing invitation to hold the next bilateral consultation meeting if it really is committed to defusing tensions in the West Philippine Sea.

In an interview with "Storycon" on One News yesterday, National Security Council assistant director Jonathan Malaya said China should sit down and talk with the Philippines regarding the recent incidents in the West Philippine Sea.

"We already sent an invitation to China. We urge China to favorably consider the standing Philippine invitations. We ask China: to defuse tension, we are inviting you to the bilateral consultation mechanism," Malaya said.

The last such meeting was hosted by China in Shanghai last January.

The latest water cannon attack caused severe damage to vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag Shoal -located 220 kilometers off Zambales - is a traditional fishing ground of Filipinos, Vietnamese and Chinese, according to the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration based in The Hague.

The same ruling invalidated China's massive claims in the South China Sea and reaffirmed Philippines' maritime entitlements.