The Philippines has no intention of "attacking anyone," the country's President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Monday, amid escalating tensions with China in the disputed South China Sea.
His remarks coincided with Manila's fresh claim that at least eight Chinese vessels have been spotted in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), within the jurisdiction of its exclusive economic zone, local English daily Manila Times reported on Monday.
West Philippine Sea is the official designation by the government of the Philippines to the parts of the South China Sea that are included in the country's exclusive economic zone.
"What we are doing is defending our sovereign rights and our sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea and we have no intention of attacking anyone with water cannons or any other such offensive," Marcos said in an interview on the sidelines of the celebration of Corporations Day in Pasay City.
"We have to call them weapons because it causes damage, so, no, that is not something that's in the plan," he went on to say.
Marcos said Manila does not want to escalate tension in the disputed waterway "amid the China Coast Guard's constant bullying and shadowing of Philippine vessels."
"The last thing we would like is to raise the tensions in the West Philippine Sea," he maintained.
- Chinese ships 'spotted'
The Chinese maritime militia (CMM) ships were spotted off the shoal, which lies just 124 nautical miles from Philippines' Palawan island.
The ships were "rafted" in groups at the shoal, a meeting point for Philippine vessels conducting rotation and resupply missions to Filipino troops stationed on board BRP Sierra Madre in nearby Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.
A Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) patrol ship was also monitored to be at Escoda Shoal and has been in the area since April.
The PCG ship, BRP Teresa Magbanua, has been closely watched by the China Coast Guard for the past three days and as of Sunday, both ships were "in close proximity" to each other.
In recent months, Beijing and Manila have seen new tensions in the disputed yet mineral-rich waters.
The two sides accuse each other of trespassing their maritime boundaries.
The territorial claims in the resource-rich South China Sea remain highly contested, despite repeated calls for a negotiated settlement and avoiding breaches of sovereignty.
