Duterte 'jet ski promise' maybe a joke but threat on fishers' safety is not —PAMALAKAYA

President Rodrigo Duterte's campaign promise may have been a joke but the effects of continued Chinese presence on Filipino fishermen's livelihood and security should not be taken lightly, fisherfolk group PAMALAKAYA said Wednesday.

In his weekly Talk to the Nation, Duterte said he was just joking when he made a promise in the 2016 elections that he will ride a jet ski to go to Spratlys Island and tell China that the West Philippine Sea belonged to the Philippines.

Duterte was answering the query of fisherman Carlo Montehermozo when he made the promise back in 2016.

In a press statement, PAMALAKAYA said most Filipino fishermen could not go to Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc for their usual fishing activities because they fear that they will get harassed by Chinese vessels staying in the area.

Bobby Roldan, PAMALAKAYA vice chairman for Luzon and a fisherman in Zambales province pointed out that two Chinese vessels are guarding the passage entry of the lagoon inside Scarborough Shoal, which is a shelter for Filipino fishers during bad weather conditions.

"The lagoon inside Panatag Shoal provides us shelter from the storm. Aside from being a safe haven, it provides us with abundant marine species that we could take back home after weeks of taking sanctuary," Roldan said.

PAMALAKAYA national chairperson Fernando Hicap said they are appalled by Duterte joking about a very serious matter involving the country's sovereignty.

He added that Duterte deceived the fisherman who was crying for help as Chinese boats continue to pose threat to Filipino fishermen.

"The Filipino fishers have already lost trust on him, thus he should bid goodbye to any illusions of his anointed minions winning next year's elections," Hicap added.

Latest sovereignty patrols showed that 287 chinese maritime militia (CMM) vessels swarmed the Kalayaan waters both within and beyond the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ), the National Task Force on West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said earlier.—Consuelo Marquez/AOL, GMA News