Senators on Thursday, June 20 called for a deescalation of tensions at the West Philippine Sea as they express alarm over the increasing aggressiveness of the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) in the country’s maritime territory.

Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero said he will be calling for a briefing with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) so senators can be briefed about the recent incident in Ayungin Shoal.

“The escalation of tensions in the West Philippine Sea is alarming, and the Senate will be seeking a full briefing from the DFA on the latest incident, as well as the efforts being undertaken to address this,” Escudero said.

At the same time, Escudero urged the DFA to go beyond the filing of diplomatic protests each time an incident in the WPS occurs.

He said the DFA must explore every means to conduct a meaningful dialogue with their counterparts from Beijing with the end in view of avoiding further escalation, “without giving up any of our rights and privileges in our claimed territory vis-a-vis theirs.”

“As our diplomats work to advance our interests, I urge our Armed Forces to explore alternative methods to deliver provisions to the Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal so that our troops are properly resupplied while minimizing the risks and achieving our desired objectives,” he said.

Sen. Loren Legarda, likewise, urged the DFA and other government agencies to engage in a constructive dialogue with their counterparts, “but at the same time they must respect our sovereignty.”

“While we must stretch our patience and tolerance, we must also expect everyone to ensure that the WPS, and the shoals around it, especially our exclusive economic zone (EEZ), is respected,” Legarda said.

“We must exercise our tolerance because we are protecting 110 million Filipinos. We must balance our tolerance,” she stressed.

Legarda also said she supports more diplomatic talks, aside from the filing of diplomatic protests.

“China is also a market of our goods; there are also Filipinos working in China,” she pointed out.

While it is possible to enforce domestic laws to counter China’s aggression and trespassing in the WPS, it is best for the government to uphold and use the Philippine’s victory at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague in 2016 that invalidated Beijing's nine-dash line claim covering nearly the entire South China Sea.

“In everything we do, we must take into consideration our victory in the Hague ruling, economic and security side. But it’s not for the Philippine Senate to decide, that will be for the chief architect of the Philippine policy,” she said, referring to President Marcos Jr.