Zambales fishermen warned anew on Chinese rocket debris

QUICK BREAK Fishermen in Masinloc, Zambales, take a break, in this photo taken on April 26, when a ban on sailing was enforced during the war games between the Philippines and the United States. On Thursday, local fishers heading to sea are again cautioned against debris falling from a rocket launched by China on Wednesday. —JOANNA ROSE AGLIBOT

SAN ANTONIO, ZAMBALES—Two weeks after they were barred from sailing due to the war games between the Philippines and the United States in this province, local fishermen were again cautioned against another obtrusion into their livelihood.

On Thursday, the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) said it was monitoring debris from the Long March 7 rocket that was launched by China the previous day at 9:22 p.m. Philippine time from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Wenchang, Hainan.

“Unburned debris expected to be discarded from the rocket before it entered outer space is projected to have fallen within three identified drop zone areas that are approximately 65 to 79 kilometers from Bajo de Masinloc,” PhilSA said in an advisory.

Also known as Panatag or Scarborough Shoal, Bajo de Masinloc serves as the traditional fishing ground for Filipinos. The shoal is about 249 km from the coastline of Zambales.

According to PhilSA, the debris from the Chinese rocket would unlikely fall on land features or inhabited areas in the Philippines.

“However, discarded debris may float around the area or wash to nearby coasts,” it noted.

Damaging

According to Bobby Roldan, a fisherman from Masinloc town and Luzon vice chair of the fisherfolk group Pamalakaya, the country’s fishing grounds in the West Philippine Sea have had enough of these missile launching activities that damage marine resources.

“If dynamite is strictly prohibited due to its damaging effect on coral reefs, what about large missiles or rockets that contain more powerful and dangerous explosives?” asked Roldan

He added: “It is clear that the Balikatan exercises conducted between the Filipino and American soldiers did not abate China’s aggression in the West Philippine Sea. It is even made worse by the provocative nature of the said military exercise.”

Roldan described the rocket launches as “unacceptable,” noting that unburned debris discarded from the rockets could severely damage coral reefs, whether for research purposes or for military projection.

According to Pamalakaya, maritime authorities should closely monitor the fishing grounds in Scarborough Shoal and ensure that the rocket debris would not pose a threat to the fishermen’s livelihood.

Protest

Roldan said the Marcos administration should “prepare a stern protest over China’s apparent reckless rocket launch that could damage our fishing grounds.”

Last month, another Chinese rocket was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert, Inner Mongolia.

In October last year, one more Chinese rocket carrying the Mengtian laboratory module for the Tiangong space station was launched from Wenchang Space Launch Center on Hainan Island.

Both rockets were also projected to leave debris on Scarborough Shoal.

—JOANNA ROSE AGLIBOT

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