Coast Guard urges fishers to continue operations at Scarborough

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard urged local fishermen to continue operating at Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) and other features in the West Philippine Sea despite the presence of Chinese vessels in the hotly contested waterway.

“It’s the intention of the government to encourage more Filipino fishermen to fish at Bajo de Masinloc and in other areas in the West Philippine Sea,” Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for WPS matters, said in an interview with DZRH radio on Wednesday.

Bajo de Masinloc, situated 240 kilometers west of Luzon, has long been a fishing ground utilized by generations of Filipinos.

The PCG removed on Monday a 300-meter floating barrier that was installed by the China Coast Guard across the entrance of the shoal to prevent Filipino fishermen from accessing the area. President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. ordered the removal of the installation.

This prompted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin to warn the Philippines not to “provoke or stir up trouble.”

China, which seized Scarborough Shoal in 2012, deploys vessels to patrol the area. The shoal lies nearly 900 kilometers from the nearest major Chinese landmass of Hainan.

Tarriela vowed that the PCG will “increase our patrols at the Bajo de Masinloc and other areas where Filipinos fish.”

China asserts sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, despite an international court ruling in 2016 that deemed its stance to have no legal basis. — Gaea Katreena Cabico with report from Agence France-Presse

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