Fishers group rejects proposed VFA with Japan

Fishermen in Masinloc town, Zambales province prepare their boats early in the morning, hoping to catch enough fish and other seafood in this photo taken on April 9.
(PHOTO BY JOANNA ROSE AGLIBOT)

MANILA Philippines – Militant fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) has made a strong outcry against the proposal of a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with Japan.

“Like pouring gasoline on [the] fire, a military pact with another foreign power like Japan will not de-escalate tension in the West Philippine Sea but will instead inflame it. Marcos’ ‘the more, the merrier’ foreign policy just demonstrates his indignity and lack of political will to defend our country’s sovereignty, patrimony, and independence,” said Fernando Hicap, Pamalakaya national chairperson, in a statement on Wednesday.

“Opposite to Marcos’ claims that it will help protect Filipino fishers and our maritime territory, a VFA with Japan will only pave the way to more cases of harassment and further plundering of our resources,” he added.

The Pamalakaya organization also stands up against not one but two proposed defense agreements between the Philippines, Japan, and the United States.

“We should stand on our own feet against China using international laws, such as our historic victory in the arbitral tribunal,” Hicap said.

“The matter of asserting Philippine patrimony and sovereign rights rests with the Filipinos and a government with a political will, not with any foreign ‘savior,” Hicap then emphasized.

The fishers group also reaffirmed its opposition to foreign military interventions and encouraged Marcos to settle the territorial dispute with China diplomatically and to follow an independent foreign policy.

To recall, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. recently vowed to announce additional locations under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with the US and has also discussed a possible VFA between the Philippines and Japan with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during his five-day visit to Tokyo.

The Philippines is also reviewing a proposed tripartite security pact with the US and Japan. — Vance Chan,  trainee

JMS/abc