Gov’t urged to assert right to fish in PH areas

LUCENA CITY—The government must assert the rights of Filipinos to fish in the country’s territorial waters in the West Philippine Sea amid claims by China over sections of the disputed territory, the outgoing director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said.

“But any conflicts should be resolved in a peaceful settlement. We continue pushing our claims but through a peaceful process,” said BFAR director Asis Perez here.

Perez said the West Philippine Sea belongs to Filipinos and the country’s fishermen should benefit from its rich marine resources.

The Chinese Coast Guard has continued patrolling sections of the West Philippine Sea and, in several occasions, has driven Filipino fishermen from their traditional fishing ground in the Scarborough Shoal, locally known as Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc.

Fishermen from the provinces of Pangasinan, Zambales and Bataan have also used the shoal as a shelter during storms.

The shoal lies 240 kilometers  from the coastline of Zambales and western Pangasinan, well within the 370-km exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.

Filipino fishermen have reported cases of harassment, intimidation and violence from Chinese Coast Guard personnel patrolling the shoal.

But Perez said BFAR patrol boats were the first symbols of government authority that confronted Chinese intruders in the high seas.

“To that extent, we are willing and capable of maintaining our claim in the area,” Perez said.

He said, however, that BFAR personnel can only do so much.

“There are things beyond our power. BFAR is a small agency. But we have to maintain our stance because that area belongs to us,” he said.

Perez, a lawyer, said the Philippines has all legal rights to use the resources in the disputed area.

Perez described his replacement at BFAR, retired Commodore Eduardo Gongona of the Philippine Coast Guard, as sincere and “more than capable” of doing his job as BFAR director.

“His success will also be the success of the fishery sector and the country,” he said.

Perez, also a veterinarian, said he will return to law practice and continue his advocacy of protecting the environment.

Before he led BFAR, Perez served as executive director of Tanggol Kalikasan, a public interest environmental law office.

Perez considers the launch of the Comprehensive National Fisheries Industry Development Plan 2016-2020 early this year as one of BFAR’s achievements under his watch. Delfin T. Mallari Jr., Inquirer Southern Luzon