Zambales fishers slam latest Chinese harassment in Scarborough Shoal

Fishermen in Zambales province prepare their fishing boat in this coastal village of Subic town. Many of the local fishermen used to sail to the disputed Scarborough Shoal where Chinese coast guards have recently driven away their fellow fisherfolk. (Photo courtesy of Joanna Rose Aglibot)

SAN ANTONIO, Zambales — Fisherfolk from Zambales province on Monday assailed the recent incident of harassment of their fellow fishermen by the Chinese Coast Guard near the Scarborough Shoal, which has been serving as their traditional fishing ground for decades.

A video posted on Feb. 13 by the Peoples Development Institute (PDI), a non-government organization helping the fishermen, showed that Chinese maritime militia boats once again harassed and ordered fishermen from Zambales to get out while the Filipinos were sailing near the shoal on Feb. 3 and 6.

When reached on Monday, the PDI said the fishermen were from the coastal town of Masinloc, some 20 nautical miles (220 kilometers) from the shoal, which the locals also called Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag Shoal.

Bobby Roldan, Luzon vice chair of the fishermen’s group Pamalakaya, told the Inquirer on Monday that they were no longer surprised after learning of the latest Chinese incursion.

“It’s not hidden from the knowledge of the fishermen that the presence of the Chinese Coast Guard in the shoal is regular,” said Roldan, also a fisherman in Masinloc.

But he said the incident should still be a cause for concern for the government.

Fearful, intimidated

Citing reports from Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo that the Chinese Coast Guard patrolled the shoal almost every day last year, Roldan said these incidents “create fear and intimidation among Filipino fishermen.”

“So contrary to what President Marcos says, Filipinos are still not able to fish peacefully in our fisheries, ” Roldan said.

He added: “This should worry the Marcos administration because many Filipino fishermen are still leaving their livelihood to find other sources of income. It also seriously impacts the country’s overall fish production and food security.”

He said his group had once again called on the government to immediately instruct the Philippine Coast Guard and other maritime forces to make regular and active patrols in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) to ensure the safety of Filipino fishermen.

In an earlier interview, Leonardo Cuaresma, another local fisherman and president of the New Masinloc Fisherman Association, said their members were still reluctant to return to the shoal after experiencing harassment by the Chinese Coast Guard in the past few years.

Abandoned

“What is the reason to go back [to the shoal]? They (the Chinese Coast Guard) ruined it already. They have damaged many of our natural resources there, and should be held accountable,” said Cuaresma.

Cuaresma added that the Philippine government should assert its sovereign rights over the shoal and other areas in the WPS that are being claimed by China.

“We have already given all the respect to our neighboring countries, even if we are being bullied there, but our government has yet to take action,” he said.

Scarborough Shoal is a triangle-shaped chain of reefs and islands around a 150-kilometer-wide lagoon.

Abundant marine resources in the shoal and its surrounding waters draw fishermen from China and the Philippines, which both lay claim to it.

The shoal is inside the country’s 370 km exclusive economic zone.

China, which has sweeping claims in nearly all of the West Philippine Sea, seized control of the shoal in 2012, prompting the country to seek UN arbitration.

In 2016, the arbitral tribunal invalidated China’s sweeping claims, but China continues to ignore the ruling. INQ

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