PCG: We don't want Filipino fishermen to be force multipliers in WPS

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Monday said it would not compromise the safety of the Filipino fisherfolk in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) just to increase the presence of Filipinos in the area amid Chinese presence. 

"For the PCG, we encourage Filipino fishermen to maximize our resources in the WPS but not to develop their capability in being our force multiplier or whatsoever in the WPS," PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview. 

"Kasi kung gagastos lang din tayo in developing the capabilities ng mga mangingisda, we might as well develop the capabilities of the Coast Guard, acquire more assets, instead of spending money sa mga fishing vessels," he added.

(If we plan to spend, we might as well just spend on developing the capabilities of the Coast Guard and acquire more assets, instead of developing the capabilities of our fishermen.) 

Philippine Navy spokesperson for the WPS Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad last week said to match the number of Chinese maritime militia vessels in the WPS, around 1,000 civilian boats should be deployed to the area.

However, Tarriela said Trinidad may have been just trying to encourage Filipino fisherfolk to fish again in the WPS despite the continued Chinese presence. 

“I think the main objective why such a statement was given by Commodore Trinidad is to encourage our Filipino fishermen to optimize itong presensya natin sa WPS, kung saan ma-encourage natin sila na mangisda ulit sila rito,” he said. 

(I think the main objective why Commodore Trinidad said that was to encourage our Filipino fishermen to optimize their presence in the WPS, to encourage them to fish again there.)

The PCG official said Filipino fishermen might be put in peril if they would face the Chinese maritime militia, whom he said are not ordinary fishermen as they take orders from China Coast Guard every time the Philippines conducts resupply missions. 

"We have a very limited resources ng ating gobyerno. Why would we even encourage Filipino fishermen na tapatan ang Chinese maritime militia na alam naman natin na ang Chinese maritime militia is still part of the Chinese Military Commission?” Tarriela said.

(The government has very limited resources. Why would we even encourage Filipino fishermen to face the Chinese maritime militia when we know that the Chinese maritime militia is still part of the Chinese Military Commission?]

"Of course they are just pretending to be fishermen but they are actually military personnel. Ang ating mangingisda [our fishermen], these are just civilians. I won’t compromise their safety because we just want to have more presence [in the WPS],” he added.   —KBK, GMA Integrated News