SENATE Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III said Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ships should be equipped with water cannons so that they can also blast water at Chinese vessels the next time the latter use this tactic to harass Filipinos in the West Philippine Sea.
The senator made the suggestion after the April 30 incident in which China Coast Guard and Chinese militia vessels water cannoned and rammed the vessels of the PCG and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, who were on their way to Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) to bring food and supplies to Filipino fishermen in the area.
"Do our PCG vessels have their own water cannons? They should," Pimentel said in a text message on Thursday.
"Because we should be able to water cannon too those who we believe are violating our laws and sovereign rights up to our EEZ (exclusive economic zone)," he said.
Pimentel said the water cannon should be "standard equipment" in PCG vessels "because that's how coast guards drive away intruders."
"Why didn't they think about that? That's standard [equipment in coast guard ships] for decades," Pimentel added.
The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea said it will continue to "act peacefully and responsibly, consistent with a rules-based international law, on the basis of Unclos (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) and the valid and binding 2016 Arbitral Award."
The Permanent Court of Arbitration based in The Hague, Netherlands, invalidated China's expansive claim in the South China Sea, which encroached on the Philippines' EEZ. China rejected the ruling, which it described as "null and illegal."
"Peace and stability in the region cannot be achieved if countries, big or small, do not exercise due regard for the well-established and legally settled rights of others," the task force said.
The Philippines "will not be deterred from pursuing legitimate and lawful activities in our maritime zones, including in BdM (Bajo de Masinloc), which is a vital source of livelihood for our fisherfolk," it added.
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