Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 16) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said China has agreed not to prevent Filipino fishermen from fishing in the West Philippine Sea, as their livelihood remains affected by the presence of Chinese maritime forces in the disputed area.
Marcos made the statement on Sunday when asked about Beijing’s supposed proposal to establish a “partnership” with Philippine fishing villages, as mentioned last week by former National Security Adviser Clarita Carlos.
READ: PH looking into China’s proposal for partnership with fishing villages — Carlos
“Actually, I don’t know how the word ‘partnership’ started to be used,” Marcos told reporters. “It’s really an agreement that you will, that China will not stop our fishermen from fishing.”
“They will continue to allow our fishermen to fish in the fishing grounds that they have been to, they have used for many generations. That’s it. It’s that simple,” the president added.
Marcos earlier said he and Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to find a “compromise” to address the plight of Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea. [LINK: Marcos: Xi promises to find ‘compromise’ that will allow Filipinos to fish in WPS]
This was criticized by fisherfolk group Pamalakaya, who said a compromise isn’t necessary, as the Philippines “already [has] the legal and political claim” over its territorial waters.
The group also stressed the right move would be to ask China to leave the West Philippine Sea. According to Pamalakaya’s estimate, fishermen from Zambales, for example, lose around 70% of their income per fishing trip due to China’s presence in the resource-rich Scarborough (or Panatag) Shoal.
“We are witnesses [to] how China abuses and plunders the resources in the West Philippine Sea, and how we are being harassed in our own fishing grounds,” Pamalakaya national spokesperson Ronnel Arambulo earlier said. “So how can we enter into an agreement with a country that blatantly violates our fishing rights and our national sovereignty?”
China continues to reject a 2016 landmark ruling by an international arbitral tribunal in The Hague which invalidated its sweeping claims over the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea. It also recognized the Philippines’ sovereign rights to areas within its exclusive economic zone.
