In a three-page joint pastoral exhortation, the bishops said they stand with the Filipino fishermen exercising their right to fish within Philippine waters.

"The Church stands with them, and as shepherd from various ecclesiastical jurisdictions with fisherfolk within our pastoral care, we stand with them and we bishops give voice to their fears and anxieties, their woes and their concerns," the letter read.

It was signed by former CBCP President and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, as well as Iba, Zambales Bishop Bartolome Santos Jr.; San Fernando, La Union Bishop Daniel Presto; Puerto Princesa Apostolic Vicar Bishop Socrates Mesiona; and Taytay, Palawan Apostolic Vicar Bishop Broderick Pabillo.

"All legal means must be exhausted so that what nature has so bountifully bestowed on us may be ours and may feed generations of Filipinos yet to be born and if present diplomatic endeavors do not suffice, then it is permissible - morally necessary even - to have recourse to the friendship of allies who can help us defend what is ours," the bishops said.

They also denounced China's militarization of the WPS, saying its incursions into the country's waters caused "widespread destruction of coral reefs, marine sanctuaries and the habitat of fish and sea-dwelling animals" that have "wrought havoc on the lives of our fisherfolk."

The bishops, however, emphasized that the WPS issue cannot be a moral option to wage war.

"But neither is it just for the leaders of our country to allow our own fisherfolk to be driven out of fishing grounds over which international law recognizes our rights. We gratefully acknowledge statements of resoluteness about defending the resources God, in his munificence, has made available to us through the sea, but words are NOT enough," they said.

The Catholic faithful should also help defend the rights of the fishermen, help save their livelihoods, and help protect their future and that of their families, they also said.

The pastoral exhortation came in response to reports of escalating harassment incidents in the WPS. On January 12, China Coast Guard personnel reportedly harassed Filipino fishermen and ordered them to throw back into the sea the sea shells they had gathered near the south entrance of Bajo de Masinloc.

China claims most of the South China Sea, parts of which are also claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Indonesia.