Presidential candidate and Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” on Tuesday, March 29, maintained that he will be fearless in protecting the Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea if elected as president.

“Basta tayo we will insist on the Hague ruling, and we will fish in our waters that includes Panatag shoal. If I need to go with the fisherfolks, I’ll be with them,” said Domagoso in an interview.

“Meron namang tayong frigates. I’ll be there, why not, (but) not through jet ski. I’m going to be fair with you, I don’t want to overpromise things. Basta tayo, we’ll be there. We’ll protect our fishermen. We need to fish in our oceans within our sovereign territory, and that includes Panatag Shoal,” he said.

Domagoso also clarified that he will not engage the country in a war and avoid confrontation as much as possible.

However, should the country’s sovereignty will be threatened under his administration, Domagoso assured he will defend the Filipino people.

“I will not go to war hangga’t kayang iwasan. Tayo hindi tayo makikipag-away. Pero tandaan niyo, hindi rin tayo nagpapa-api (as much as possible. We will not fight. But remember, we cannot allow them to oppress us either). I don’t want to create another problem. As of now, marami tayong problema na kinakaharap ng tao. But alam niyo, pag natutulak ka sa pader, nangangagat din ang api (we are facing many problems. But you know, when you're pushed against the wall, the oppressed also knows how to bite or fight back),” Domagoso said.

China, on Monday, March 28, urged the Philippine government to “earnestly respect” China’s sovereignty and warned the country against “interfering” with the patrol operations of the Chinese Coast Guard.

“They can spin what they want to spin, but my obligation, if elected president, is to protect all Filipino citizens anywhere in the country, anywhere in the world. That is the job of the president. And that includes our resources and geography. We are a sovereign country,” the Manila city mayor said.

“If they want respect, I think respect should be given back to us. it’s ours, nothing more, nothing less, technically, historically. They may claim what they want to claim. They can say what they want to say. As far as history is concerned, as far as technical aspect is concerned, acceptable laws existing in the world, acceptable to all other nations, it’s ours.”