A greedy robber like China– which has encroached and occupied illegally– our waters in the West Philippine Sea that was rightfully awarded to us by the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016– has ordered Filipino fishermen gathering shellfish taktakun– a snail-like local delicacy– to return such catch back to the water.
Of course, China insists in its hallucinatory theory called the 9 Dash Line that it is the owner of the vast seas (atolls, shoals and other tidal submersible islands and islets) that were previously erroneously lumped with the historical demarcation of South China Sea (hence the nerve of China claiming it as hers).
And because of this imaginary and flawed 9 Dash Line, China has encroached, occupied and built structures within the vastness of the former SCS and would, at every chance, bully small fishing boats and even larger vessels like those owned by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the Navy and the Coast Guard. At every chance, they threaten with water cannons, blinding laser and other means these Filipino watercraft so they can have exclusive enjoyment of the vastness of fishery and mineral and gas resources that abound in that water body,
Of late, China’s bullying tactic hit gutter level when it asked the sitting Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to read more so that he would understand the intricacies of the SCS, which we rightfully call the West Philippine Sea.
Since the time of President Rodrigo Duterte, who cuddled too close and endeared himself (and mistakenly the entire country) to China, the China Coast Guard had been making its strong presence felt in WPS accompanying hundreds of its fishing boats (manned by militia) have scraped the underwater bounties completely that fishermen are now producing less catch and earning almost nothing from their hard labor. But China did not honor its obligations and promises to Duterte in terms of billions of dollars in infrastructure projects.
On January 22, 2024, the PCG reported that CCG tried to drive away Filipino fishermen in Bajo de Masinloc in WPS early this month showing videos of such harassment tactics that made the rounds of social media.
The videos were captured by fisherman Jack Tabat from Zambales, who witnessed the incident in Bajo de Masinloc on Jan. 12 while aboard the fishing boat Legendary Jo with other fishermen when they saw another Filipino fishing boat “being harassed by CCG personnel on board their rubber boat.
The other fishing boat was gathering seashells at the south entrance of the shoal during low tide but CCG drove them away and even asked the fishermen to “return their collected seashells.”
Four of the five Chinese personnel left their boat and swam toward the Filipino fishermen as they gestured to them to return the seashells and leave the area. Tabat captured the Chinese personnel grabbing the fishing boat and preventing it from leaving unless the fishermen threw back their collected seashells back into the sea, Tarriela said.
Tabat tried to move their fishing boat closer to take better videos but the Chinese coast guard tried to chase them away.
The incident took place days before the Philippines and China held a bilateral consultative meeting in Shanghai on Jan. 17 where they agreed to improve maritime communication and properly handle differences in the South China Sea.
The 2016 arbitral ruling classified Bajo de Masinloc as a traditional fishing ground that should be shared with neighboring countries such as China and Vietnam. But Beijing exclusivity to the entire SCS, rejecting the Hague ruling. Attempts to reach a code of conduct on the disputed waters of SCS would take time to materialize as it entails a very methodical process that can’t be rushed, said DFA Assistant Secretary Daniel Espiritu.
#BareTruth #RoseDeLaCruz #China #WestPhilipppineSea #Fishermen #BBM #PBBM #Marcos #Duterte #JackTabat #OpinYonColumn #OpinYon #WeTakeAStand