Marcos orders AFP not to escalate WPS situation — Brawner

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the military to maintain the peace and order in the disputed West Philippine Sea despite the reported China's snatching of supplies meant for Filipino troops stationed at the Ayungin Shoal, military chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. said Tuesday.

"Well, in general, the order of our President is that we will not let the situation escalate. That's why we, Filipinos, are practicing maximum tolerance and we are practicing activities that promote international law," Brawner said in a press conference at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

Brawner said the Armed Forces of the Philippines remain resolute in its mandate to protect the Filipinos and defend the country's territory.

"In other words, we are not violating international law. For instance, we discussed the use of water cannons. So the Chinese, they use their water cannons to destroy our ships, to hurt our personnel," he noted.

Citing international maritime laws, Brawner emphasized water cannons must only be used to save lives.

"The water cannons are supposed to be used to save lives, particularly when there is a fire on another ship. A ship can point its water cannons on the fire in order to put out the fire. That is the use of water cannons, not to hurt our personnel," he said.

The Philippines has been filing diplomatic protests against Chinese activities, such as its aggressive use of water cannons against Philippine vessels during the AFP's rotational and resupply mission in the Ayungin Shoal and Scarborough Shoal.

"We were discussing this with the President and he said: 'No, do not use our water cannons against the Chinese. So in other words, what he is trying to give to us or order us is that we should always maintain the high moral ground because we are following the law, that is what our President wants," Brawner said.

"And that is also what he emphasized in his speech in Singapore during the Shangri-La Dialogue," he added.