Philippines Awaits Response Over China Boat 'Attack'

The Philippines said Tuesday that it wants a quick diplomatic response from China after a Chinese patrol ship appeared to have fired water cannon at Filipino fishermen in the disputed Panatag Shoal.



Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte told reporters Tuesday that President Benigno Aquino III had instructed foreign affairs and defense officials to stay on the diplomatic and legal track after the incident it claims happened in the West Philippine Sea.   



"The president's directive in this particular matter would be for the department of foreign affairs and to the department of national defense to come up with a response to that particular incident owing to the fact that we have our diplomatic track. We have the legal track," GMA News "ed Valte as saying.



"All our courses of action always fall within those tracks and this new incident will not be any different," she added. 



Valte underlined that the president does not want situation in the disputed territory - which China refers to as the South China Sea - to escalate.



 "The last thing you want in a highly-charged environment is to have an incendiary situation that can lead to violence," she said.  



On Monday, the presidential office said that a Chinese Coast Guard vessel drove Filipino fishermen away from the Panatag Shoal using water cannon.



A fisherman was injured in the incident.



 The Panatag Shoal, also called the Scarborough Shoal, was the site of a standoff between Philippine and Chinese vessels in 2012 when the Philippine Navy tried to apprehend Chinese vessels fishing in the shoal.



The incident comes as the Philippines and United States take part in 10 days of joint military exercises.



The Balikatan - shoulder-to-shoulder exercises - take place in areas near to territories claimed by China.



This year's exercises involve more than 11,000 personnel, the largest in 15 years.



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