Activists call for justice for our fisherfolk

PHOTO by Chistia Marie Ramos/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — “Justice for our fisherfolk!”

This was the resounding call of protesters who trooped to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday, almost two weeks after 22 Filipino fishermen were abandoned at sea after a Chinese vessel reportedly rammed their boat inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Protesters from progressive groups such as Tindig Pilipinas, Akbayan, and Youth Resists carried placards and called for justice for the Filipino fishermen.

PHOTO by Christia Marie Ramos/INQUIRER.net

PHOTO by Christia Marie Ramos/INQUIRER.net

“Andito tayo ngayon sa tapat ng Chinese Embassy-este-sa Department of Foreign Affairs, ngayon di na natin alam eh,” Justin Balane, Akbayan Youth Secretary-General, said taking a hit at the government agency which the protesters claimed is siding with China over the incident.

(We are here in front of the Chinese Embassy…I mean the Department of Foreign Affairs — we cannot distinguish them now.)

“Ang hamon natin sa DFA, kay Secretary (Teodoro Locsin Jr.) kampihan ang mga Pilipino. Ganoon lang po kasimple, kayo po ay nakaupo sa pwesto na yan, para kampihan ang mga Pilipino, ang mga mangingisda. Panagutin at palayasin ang Tsina,” Balane said during the demonstration.

(We call on the DFA and Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. is to side with Filipinos. It’s that simple. You are in that position to protect Filipinos, the fishermen. Hold China responsible [for the incident}.)

Chants calling the President as “coward” also echoed throughout the protest.

Jason del Rosario from Youth Resist said they are calling the administration to stop being a spokesperson for China, uring Duterte to show his “talking persona.”

“Mr. President, matapang ka daw, nasan na? Ang mga mangingisda natin nararapat lang na meron silang gobyerno na pumoprotekta sa kanila, na nagsusulong ng karapatan nila, deserve nila ang isang gobyerno na tatayo ang titindig sa international community para sa karapatn nila,” he said.

(Mr. President, they say you are brave? Our fishermen deserve a government that will protect them and will push for their rights. They deserve a government who will stand up for them in the international community.)

The Filipino people deserve a government that will assert the rights of the Filipino people and not (Chinese President) Xi Jinping,” he added.

PHOTO by Christia Ramos/INQUIRER.net

Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano, meanwhile, stressed that standing up to the Asian powerhouse does not mean war.

“Hindi natin hinihingi ang gyera sa China. Matagal na nating sinasabi: Gyera ay hindi kasagutan. At ang pag-surrender ay hindi rin kasagutan. Isa lamang ang nagsasabi na gyera ang kasagutan. at yan si President Duterte. At yung din ang ginagamit na dahilan para tayo lahat ay mapwersa na pumayag sa kanyang foreign policy na sunod-sunodan sa China,” Alejano claimed.

(We are not asking for a war with China. We have said this before: War is not the answer. Surrender is not the answer as well. There is only one person who sees war as the solution: President Duterte. And he is using that to pressure us to follow his foreign policy that is subservient to China.)

“Unang-unang tatayo para sa ating bansa ay ang ating presidente, dahil kung patuloy natin sinasabing hindi natin kayang depensahan ang ating sarili, we are announcing to the whole world that you can come to the Philippines at abusuhin niyo kami dahil duwag kami at hindi kami lalaban,” he added.

(The first to stand up for us should be the President because if we continue to say that we cannot defend ourselves, we are announcing to the whole world that they can come to the Philippines and abuse us because we are cowards and we are not going to fight.)

It took the President a week before making a public statement on the incident, which he called a “little maritime accident.”

READ: Duterte: Sinking of PH fishing boat ‘a little maritime accident’ 

Critics slammed the response of Duterte to the Recto Bank incident, which is in sharp contrast to his aggressive stance against Canada’s trash shipment where he even threatened to declare war.

But his spokesman said Duterte is not necessarily trying to avoid offending China by not airing a strong condemnation. He said the President was only refraining from issuing a policy statement “because the facts are not yet in.”

On June 12, while the Philippines commemorated its Independence Day, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana released a statement strongly condemning what he described as a “cowardly act” of the Chinese fishing vessel and its crew when they abandoned the Filipino fishermen after ramming their boat at Recto Bank last June 9.

READ: China fishing vessel sinks Filipino boat after ‘collision’ in West Philippine Sea

“Pagbangga sa amin binalikan kami at inilawan. Nung nakita kaming lubog na tinakbuhan po kami (After they hit us, they even went back to make sure that our boat was submerged before they left),” Junel Insigne, boat captain of F/B Gem-Vir 1, said on live television last week.

READ: Captain of sunken PH boat: ‘The Chinese did it’ 

However, Insigne appeared to have changed his tune following a meeting with Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol who went to Mindoro Occidental to talk to the fishermen on Wednesday.

READ: Ramming of PH vessel intentional or accident? Boat captain now unsure

The Chinese Embassy in Manila earlier denied that the incident was a “hit-and-run” case. (Editor: Eden Estopace)