Pinoy fishermen want PH Coast Guard security in Bajo de Masinloc

Filipino fishermen are now seeking the presence of the country's coast guard while they fish in the Panatag Shoal following pronouncements made by China that it could detain “foreign trespassers” inside what is legally Philippine territory. 

According to Tropical Fish Gatherer Association president Joeffrey Elad, it would be better to be escorted by the Philippine Coast Guard, as their group is wary that China could detain them should they reach the Panatag Shoal, also known as the Bajo de Masinloc.

“Kasi kung hindi natin babalikan and Bajo de Masinloc, baka lalo lang mawawala sa aming mangingisda ‘yung bahura na ‘yun (If we do not return to the Bajo de Masinloc, that reef may be lost to us fisherfolk),” he said in a report by Jonathan Andal on 24 Oras Weekend on Sunday.

“Baka kami ang masampolan na mahuli at madala sa China, kaya tiis-tiis lang kami (We might be made an example of by being caught and brought to China, that’s why we have to endure this.),” he added.

This comes as Beijing on Saturday, June 15, started its “no trespassing” policy that allowed the China Coast Guard to detain “foreign trespassers” in its massive territorial claims for up to 60 days without trial.

The Tropical Fish Gatherer Association, based in Masinloc, Zambales, usually would spend a week at the Panatag Shoal to harvest fish, but a number of fishermen have chosen to stay ashore or close to shore in the meantime as China implements its new policy.

A different association, however, continued to harvest in groups, but did not reach the Panatag Shoal due to the strong waves and the presence of Chinese vessels.

“Minimum ng lima hanggang sampu po ‘yung magkakatabi, magkakasama. Kasi nga halimbawa, ‘pag may dumating na, baka sila, grupo din silang sumugod,” Pamalakaya Zambales provincial director Joey Marabe said in the same report.

(We had a minimum of five up to ten side by side together because for example, if the [Chinese] arrive, there may be a group of them that would rush to the area.)

For its part, the Philippine Coast Guard said it has already reinforced its presence in the West Philippine Sea, while the Philippine Air Force continues to patrol the disputed area.

Retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio has also called on local fishers to continue their fishing activities and assert their rights in Philippine territory, as China has no right to detain Filipinos in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

“Continue with your right, kasi (because) that’s the only way you can assert your right. ‘Pag natakot ka, talo ka. (Once you get scared, you lose),” he said in the same report.

The Philippines on Saturday officially asked the United Nations to extend its boundary farther into the disputed South China Sea, amid the increasingly aggressive actions taken by China in the area.

Beijing has refused to acknowledge the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s 2016 ruling that invalidated China’s nine-dash line. Its government in 2022 claimed that it will continue to adhere to what it described as a “friendly consultation” with the Philippines after several Chinese vessels have been found “swarming” areas in the West Philippine Sea.

The Philippines has already filed a total of 153 diplomatic protests against China regarding the territorial dispute under the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.—Jon Viktor Cabuenas/RF, GMA Integrated News