PCG evades Chinese ship to bring home dead Subic fisher
SAN ANTONIO, ZAMBALES—Braving rough seas and shadowing by a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel, the Philippine Coast Guard’s (PCG) BRP Cabra successfully arrived at Riviera Wharf in Subic Bay Freeport at 7:08 a.m. on Tuesday, carrying the remains of a fisherman who passed away during a fishing trip in the sea off Zambales province.
According to the PCG, the CCG Vessel 3304, despite being aware of a distress call from the fishing vessel FB El Kapitan 2, shadowed the BRP Cabra in what appeared to be an attempt to hamper efforts to recover the body of Elpidio Lamban, 58, a resident of Barangay Calapacuan in Subic town in this province.
No details were immediately available regarding the proximity of the CCG vessel to the BRP Cabra or the duration of its shadowing of the PCG ship.
The PCG reported that on Monday, while conducting routine radio checks in the waters near Bajo de Masinloc (the local name for the disputed Panatag [Scarborough] Shoal in the West Philippine Sea) and west of Zambales, PCG personnel aboard the BRP Cabra received an urgent distress call from Michael Vasquez, skipper of FB El Kapitan 2.
Vasquez reported that Lamban had trouble breathing and vomiting blood while they were fishing in the waters some 139 kilometers (75 nautical miles) off Capones Point in San Antonio, Zambales.
The BRP Cabra immediately redirected course to provide assistance but was informed that Lamban had already stopped breathing.
Upon arriving at the fishing vessel’s location off the coast of San Antonio town, the PCG’s medical personnel, who were transported using indigenous boats due to the rough sea conditions, confirmed that Lamban had no pulse and was no longer breathing.
As the BRP Cabra made its way to Subic Bay, the PCG deployed another vessel, the BRP Teresa Magbanua, to patrol the province’s coastline and help address the presence of CCG vessels in the area, the PCG report said.
‘Monster’
Earlier this month, the PCG deployed the BRP Cabra after spotting China’s largest coast guard vessel, CCG 5901—nicknamed the “Monster”—approximately 100 km (54 nautical miles) off Capones Island in Zambales province.
While the Monster vessel eventually returned to the West Philippine Sea, smaller CCG vessels quickly replaced it.
The PCG has actively monitored these incursions, issuing radio challenges and gradually pushing the CCG vessels farther away from the province’s coastline.
Since June last year, many fishermen in Zambales have reported increased encounters with CCG vessels much closer to municipal waters.
Previously, they would only encounter such vessels near Panatag, their traditional fishing ground in the West Philippine Sea.
Panatag Shoal, located within the Philippines’ 370-km exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea, has long served as a shelter for fishermen during storms.
However, China, which asserts sweeping claims over nearly the entire West Philippine Sea, seized control of the shoal in 2012, making it off-limits to Filipino fishermen.
CCG vessels and maritime militia frequently harass fishermen and other vessels attempting to enter the lagoon.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines, invalidating China’s expansive claims over the South China Sea. However, China has continued to ignore the ruling and bolster its presence in the West Philippine Sea, negatively impacting the livelihoods of thousands of Filipino fishermen.
