President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday affirmed the Philippines will continue to uphold and defend its sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea, following the latest incident where a Filipino vessel was hit by water cannon near Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Panatag Shoal, off the coast of Zambales.
“What will happen here is we will continue to be present. We will continue to defend our territory. We will continue to exercise our sovereign rights. And despite any opposition from anyone, we will continue to do that as we have done in the past three years,” President Marcos said in a press conference in Malacañang’s Kalayaan Hall.
“We have never instructed any of our vessels to back out,” the Chief Executive added.
President Marcos made his remarks following reports that a China Coast Guard (CCG) ship used its water cannon against a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel in Bajo de Masinloc early Monday.
Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesman for the West Philippine Sea, said the BRP Suluan (MRRV-4406) was targeted with a water cannon, but the PCG crew members’ seamanship skills enabled the vessel to successfully evade being hit.
BRP Suluan and another PCG ship, the BRP Teresa Magbanua, along with government-owned MV Pamamalakaya, were in Bajo de Masinloc to carry out the “Kadiwa Para sa Bagong Bayaning Mangingisda” (KBBM) initiative for some 35 Filipino fishing vessels in the area.
KBBM is an ongoing program by the Marcos administration to directly buy catches from Filipino fishermen to promote food security and maritime development in the West Philippine Sea.
During the operation, Philippine vessels and fishermen encountered hazardous maneuvers and blocking actions from other nearby vessels, Tarriela said in a statement.
President Marcos emphasized that Philippine authorities will remain on a defensive stance in the West Philippine Sea.
“We will stop doing it when the threat stops. Tigil na ‘yung mga threats. We can all sit more safely at home. And mas magiging magaan ang kalooban natin kapag ganoon ang sitwasyon,” the President added. | PND
