Vietnamese fishing vessels in West Philippine Sea increasing in number

MASINLOC, Zambales, Philippines — As if constant harassment from the China coast guard were not enough, Filipino fisherfolk now have to deal with the increasing number of Vietnamese fishermen who go about their business in and around Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag Shoal without getting confronted or chased away by the Chinese.

The Filipino fishermen aired their plight during an onsite public consultation conducted jointly by the House committee on national defense and security and the special committee on the West Philippine Sea on Friday. The public consultation was part of the panels’ ongoing investigation on the “gentleman’s agreement” between former president Rodrigo Duterte and the Chinese.

Genevieve Buencamino, a fishing boats operator here, said the Vietnamese appear to be in good graces with the Chinese coast guard or maritime militias who would always ignore their presence – and growing number.

In contrast, Filipino fishermen have to deal with Chinese harassment and even threat of harm on a regular basis.

“There are many Vietnamese fishing vessels that are free to come and go in WPS and they have ‘superlights’ which are actually banned in our law,” she added. Superlights are special lamps used to attract fish and members of their food chain to specific areas so they can easily be harvested.

And worse, Buencamino said, Vietnamese are now using nets and intruding into Filipino fishermen’s payao, further depriving the latter of decent catch. “Nothing is left for Filipinos to catch,” she bewailed.

Payao is a traditional fishing device composed of floating rafts of bamboo anchored to the seafloor designed to trap fish. The catch is then harvested using hand-line fishing or surface trolling, among other methods.

She said Filipino fishermen couldn’t understand why the Vietnamese are free to do their trade in Philippine waters while the Filipinos find themselves always restricted.

“Before during bad weather, fishermen could hide in Scarborough but they are no longer allowed to do that. So the fishermen have no choice but to go home, putting their safety at risk,” she added, referring to Bajo de Masinloc by its other name.

During the public consultation, Senior