PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday declared that the Filipino fishing boat in the Recto Bank incident was 'sideswiped' and not 'rammed' by a Chinese vessel as what had been reported.Duterte's latest version of what happened on the night of June 9 came as he reiterated that the incident was a 'mere maritime accident' and was not reason for the Philippines to go to war with China.'You do not react violently. As a matter of fact halos kami (the Cabinet) ngayon are agreed na side-swiped. Hindi talaga yung binunggo. Eh kung binunggo sa ilalim na yun,' Duterte said in a speech at the 122nd anniversary of the Presidential Security Group in Malacañang.'Ngayon sabihing mong sinadya, let us have an investigation. Tinatago ko yung aking baraha. Meron ng Customs, meron ang Navy, tinatago ko for the fine report kasi gusto ko tignan yung ano sa China. But that is no reason to go to war,' he added.Twenty-two Filipino fishermen were left at sea by a Chinese crew after sinking their boat on June 9. They were later rescued by a Vietnamese vessel.Duterte has been criticized for his warmer ties with China and his softer assertion of this ruling. While he questions the widespread claims of China in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), the President has regarded the sinking of the Philippine boat as a “little maritime accident.”The President has since apologized to the fishermen, but said the incident did not warrant sending troops to the area.Manila and Beijing have agreed to conduct a joint investigation.Duterte admitted that he could not ban China from fishing in the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ).'Gusto nila i-prohibit ko. Why will I go there and prohibit them? Now, the only way to stop them is talagang gamitan ko ng ngipin iyan,' the President said.'Sinabihan ang China, sinabi na natin, ang usapan natin, huwag muna ngayong pagusapan, magkaibigan muna tayo, bigyan ko kayo ng armas. Ano gusto ninyo? May mga projects ngayon,' he added.The President then called Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio 'stupid' after he asserted that giving Chinese nationals access to the Philippine waters was unconstitutional.'Sabi ko nga, alam mo Justice Carpio napaka-istupido mo. That is why hanggang diyan ka lang talaga. He's from Davao . Noon pa hindi ako bilib diyan buang na yan. Walang ka-ryhme or reason,' he said.In a statement on Tuesday evening, Carpio said the use and enjoyment of the fish in EEZ was reserved exclusively for Filipinos.'The Constitution mandates, ‘The State shall protect the nation’s marine wealth in its…exclusive economic zone, and reserve its use and enjoyment exclusively to Filipino citizens’,” he said.In a speech on Wednesday, Duterte also slammed opposition senators questioning his decision to allow China to fish in the country's EEZ.'Pati itong mga senador sa oposisyon, alam mo, gusto talaga nila ng gulo. Kasi sabi ko, nag-tanong sila: Will you allow Chinese to fish? Of course. Iyan ang pinag-usapan namin noon kaya tayo nag-uusap eh. And that's why we were allowed to fish again. It was a mutual agreement. See, bigayan tayo,' Duterte said.'Ngayon, sabi nila, you have to ban China. I-prohibit mo. Kung i-prohibit ko, how do I impose my desire? Takot nga ang America. Ayaw nga mag-confront tapos ako pa ang i-pusta nila? Gusto talaga nilang isubo ako,' he added. CATHERINE S. VALENTE