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.
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.