Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 25) — Lawmakers decried China’s installation of a floating barrier in the southern portion of Scarborough Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc, that prevents Filipino boats from entering the choice fishing area.
“China’s cruelty knows no bounds. Napaka-walanghiya na agresibo nilang hinaharangan ang ating mangingisda sa sarili nating karagatan [It is so brazen that they aggressively block our fishermen in our own waters],” Sen. Risa Hontiveros said.
“Filipino fisherfolk are among the poorest in our country. They only rely on our seas for their food and their livelihood… I trust that the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) can escort our fisherfolk and ensure that they pass through the floating barriers,” she added.
Hontiveros said the national government must “no longer accept acts like this going unpunished.”
“If we allow China’s bullying to continue, it will cost the lives of our own people,” she said.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said China has “no right to put any structures within our Exclusive Economic Zone. And secondly, these structures pose a danger on passing fishing boats that can get entangled on the lines and cause considerable damage to the propellers and engines of our fisherfolk.”
He called on the PCG to “immediately cut and remove all” the structures.
Sen. Francis Tolentino, meanwhile, said he supports calls to remove the floating barrier as he stressed that China is violating international law.
Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva also said that this latest action of China only shows it does not respect Philippine sovereignty.
Personnel of the PCG and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) on board BRP Datu Bankaw discovered the 300-meter-long barrier during a maritime patrol last Sept. 22.
During the routine patrol, the PCG said the BFAR team observed more than 50 Philippine fishing boats in the vicinity of the shoal. They provided the fishermen with grocery items and fuel subsidies to sustain their operations. It was then that a China Coast Guard vessel (CCG-3105) initiated 15 radio challenges to drive away the BFAR vessel and fishing boats.
“The CCG crew alleged that the presence of the BFAR vessel and Filipino fishermen violated international law and the domestic laws of the People’s Republic of China,” the PCG said in a statement.
“Three CCG Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats and Chinese Maritime Militia’s service boat installed the floating barrier upon arrival of the BFAR vessel in the vicinity of the shoal,” it added.
The PCG said, according to the fishermen, CCG vessels “usually install floating barriers whenever they monitor a large number of Filipino fishermen in the area.”
“The Philippine Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources strongly condemn the China Coast Guard’s installation of floating barrier in the southeast portion of Bajo de Masinloc,” the PCG said.
In a press briefing, spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Jay Tarriela stressed that the floating barrier is a “navigational hazard.”
“Ang tendency, if you’re going to insist on going to the shoal, maaaring kainin ng propeller ‘yung mga net na nasa ilalim,” he said.
[Translation: The tendency is, if you’re going to insist on going to the shoal, the propeller might catch the net underneath.]
