House lawmakers on Sunday denounced China's attack on three vessels of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Saturday with the use of water cannons and a long-range acoustic device.

Speaker Martin Romualdez said China's actions against the BFAR vessels Datu Sanday, Datu Bankaw and Datu Tamblot are "unacceptable, unjustified and a brazen disrespect" for the rule of law.

Romualdez said the use of water cannons and acoustic weapon that temporarily impaired the hearing of Filipinos in the targeted boats is "a blatant violation of international norms and a direct challenge to the sovereignty and rights of the Philippines."

The BFAR ships were delivering fuel and food to fishermen in the West Philippine Sea when attacked by the China Coast Guard and Chinese militia vessels.

"The acts of intimidation and harassment against Filipino fishermen, who depend on these waters for their livelihood, are not only a violation of their rights but also an affront to human dignity," he said.

"To prevent the distribution of humanitarian support is not only illegal but also inhumane," he lamented.

The rebuke came a day after CCG fired water canons anew against Philippine resupply boats in the Bajo de Masinloc on Saturday morning, which resulted in serious damage to one of the ships' engines and distress to its crew.

The use of water cannons was China's latest in a series of attacks, including its use of military-grade laser against a Philippine Coast Guard vessel that caused temporary eye damage to some Filipino mariners.

China has territorial claims in nearly the entire South China Sea, which overlaps the WPS, notwithstanding a 2016 arbitral ruling that marked its sovereignty assertion as baseless.

House reso

The ruling affirmed the Philippines' 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone in the WPS.

Last week, the House of Representatives adopted a resolution condemning China's encroachment and illegal activities in the WPS.

It prodded the national government to defend the country while referencing the 2016 arbitral ruling against China and favoring the Philippines.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin asserted that the resolution "groundlessly criticized, misrepresented, and smeared China."

Wenbin maintained that Beijing had sovereignty over the contested claims in the WPS.

"The arbitral tribunal in the South China Sea violated the principle of state consent, exercised its jurisdiction ultra vires, and rendered an award in disregard of the law," Wenbin said.

"This is a grave violation of UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea) and general international law. The award is illegal, null and void," he added.

"China does not accept or recognize it and will never accept any claim or action based on the award," the Chinese government's mouthpiece stressed.

Romualdez, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, and ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro clapped back at China, saying the resolution was a prerogative of the House.

"China's rejection of the resolution is disheartening, especially in light of its continued illegal activities in the West Philippine Sea, a clear violation of the Arbitral Award," Romualdez said.

He added that Beijing's construction of artificial islands and militarization of the area "demonstrates a disregard for international law and poses a threat to regional stability."

Rodriguez reminded Beijing that its expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea, including the WPS, have no legal basis, citing the arbitral court ruling.

Steadfast

"They cannot insist on owning areas that are inside our 200-mile exclusive economic zone, like Ayungin Shoal and Recto Bank in Palawan, and Scarborough or Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc off Zambales and Pangasinan, which China seized in 2012," he said.

Rodriguez pointed out that China has no right to oppress the House in expressing its "collective sense" of the continued Chinese intrusion and encroachment on the Philippines' maritime waters and their persistent harassment and bullying of the Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard, and Filipino fisherfolk.

"No country can deny us that," he said. Moreover, Rodriguez added that China should not call for "negotiations and consultations" to resolve maritime disputes "because we already tried those modes during the previous administration, but they failed."

"We should not negotiate with a frenemy that is frequently intruding in our backyard and repeatedly harassing and bullying us," he said.