Manila, May 6 -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s refusal to use water cannons is proof that the country does not wish to escalate tensions in the West Philippine Sea, an official of the National Task Force for the WPS (NTF-WPS) said Monday.

NTF-WPS spokesperson, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commodore Jay Tarriela said the mission of the Philippine Navy and the PCG vessels in the WPS is merely to maintain the country's presence in the region and assert the country's sovereignty, "not to cause damage to other vessels that would potentially escalate tension."

"How can the pro-China trolls explain why [Marcos] will not allow the PCG to use water cannons if they claim that he wants to engage in war and escalate tension in the WPS?" he sa...