Marcos dismisses proposal to use water cannons in WPS

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday denied any proposal to equip Philippine vessels patrolling the West Philippine Sea with water cannons amid ongoing maritime tensions in the contested region.

In a media interview after attending the 2024 Government-Owned and Controlled Corporation (GOCC) Day, Marcos said that such measures would only worsen the already delicate situation in the disputed region.

"No. What we are doing is defending our sovereign rights and sovereignty in the WPS. We have no intention of attacking anyone with water cannons or any other such offensive. We have to call them weapons because they can cause damage, so no, that is not something that’s in the plan," Marcos said.

Authorities said last week that the water cannon attack carried out by China at Scarborough Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc had damaged Philippine vessels transporting food and fuel to fishermen in the area.

In response to the recent Chinese aggression, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III and Senator Robin Padilla proposed using water cannons to counter China's attacks.

Marcos clarified that raising tensions is not part of the Philippine Navy or Coast Guard's mission and underscored that diplomatic efforts being pursued to resolve maritime incidents.

“The last thing we would like is to raise tensions in the WPS. That's the last thing. And that would certainly do that, so we will not do it. We will not follow the Chinese coast guard and the Chinese vessels down that road because it’s simply not the mission of our navy, our coast guard to start or increase tensions. Their mission is precisely the opposite, to lower tensions.”

“That’s why, all we do is when incidents happen, we send demarches, we send letters to China and other stakeholders,” he said, emphasizing that adding water cannons to Philippine vessels would be “the opposite of what we are trying to achieve.”

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) summoned Chinese Embassy to the Philippines Deputy Chief of Mission Zhou Zhiyong to address the recent water cannon incident at Scarborough Shoal.

In its protest, the DFA condemned the “harassment, ramming, swarming, shadowing, blocking, use of water cannons, and other aggressive actions by the China Coast Guard and Chinese Maritime Militia against Philippine vessels.” The department also “demanded that Chinese vessels leave Bajo de Masinloc and its vicinity immediately.”

China asserts claims over nearly the entire South China Sea, a vital route for over $3 trillion in annual ship-borne trade, including areas claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that China's claims had no legal basis. However, Beijing has refused to recognize the ruling.