Fishers hope WPS exercises will scare China away
OLONGAPO CITY – Some fishers in Subic town of Zambales hoped that the multi-country maritime exercises in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) would scare China and finally cause them to leave their traditional fishing ground.
On Friday, the Philippines and Vietnam concluded their first maritime drills some eight nautical miles (14.8 kilometers) west of Corregidor Island in Bataan province.
It was held a day after the country also concluded the Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity with the armed forces of the United States (US), Canada, and Australia to demonstrate their commitment to the rule of law in the face of growing regional tensions over China’s aggressiveness in the South China Sea.
Leonido Moralde, 63, and his 10 crew who just returned on Thursday from his usual fishing trip near the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, said in an interview that the China Coast Guard (CCG) was still hampering their livelihood.
“I hope it will be helpful for us fishermen because (right now) China has not left. There is a CCG vessel that is white, sometimes there is even a blue one or there are warships that can be seen,” said Moralde, also the vice president of the fishing group Samahan ng Subic Hook and Line.
But for Ronnel Arambulo, vice chair of the fishing groups alliance Pamalakaya, another joint patrol with the US and other foreign military powers in WPS is a “dangerous” venture that could “heighten” Chinese military presence in Philippine territorial waters.
“Our traditional fishing grounds are already militarized by Beijing, we don’t need another foreign military power parading its warships that could further impede our fishing activities. We want a demilitarized West Philippine Sea so we can fish in peace,” Arambulo said in a phone interview.
Lagoon
In a statement, former House Representative Liza Maza expressed dismay over the presence of more foreign troops in WPS, saying it was not the path to a peaceful resolution to reclaiming the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
“We must not concede our sovereignty to any foreign agenda, whether it’s the US or China. We refuse to become another launch pad to US-led wars,” she said.
The shoal, which has bountiful fish stocks and a lagoon that provides a haven for vessels during storms, is located within the country’s 370-kilometer (200 nautical miles) EEZ in the South China Sea but China has taken control of the shoal, with CCG ships guarding the area and continue to harass fishermen who attempt to enter its lagoon.
Many fishermen from Subic town still managed to get near the shoal to fish despite China’s presence but they had been and treat to arrest “trespassers.”
Advantage of good weather
Despite the risks, Moralde said Thursday that they needed to go back near Panatag by Sunday to take advantage of the good weather because they could not go there when the waves get bigger.
He and his crew has spent P178,000 on diesel, food, and other provisions but they only earned P191,000 due to low buying price for their catch.
For last Sunday’s expedition, he said they planned to go only some 120 nautical miles from Subic town after some fishermen from Cato in Pangasinan, who recently attempted to enter the lagoon, warned them that they were chased by CCG as soon as they reached 20 nautical miles from the shoal.
Moralde said they have been also avoiding going near the shoal after one of their service boats was rammed by a CCG speedboat last January.
