Filipino fishermen stand their ground despite Chinese Coast Guard telling them to go
INFANTA, PANGASINAN -- Filipino fishermen were shooed away by the Chinese Coast Guard in Scarborough Shoal early this month, but they remained for three days before returning with two tons of fish.
A fisherman said their group arrived at the Bajo de Masinloc on December 2 and the Chinese Coast Guard came on December 5
Juanito Libios, 41, said despite the actions of the Chinese Coast Guard they managed to stay until December 7 when they returned to Pangasinan.
“We were shooed but we did not leave the area. We still placed our anchor there outside (the shoal)… on the following day they stopped,” he said
“We are recovering because the Chinese were not disturbing us too much, but they again shooed us. They shooed us again last December 5,” Libios said.
“They said final decision:’ Go, Go’. That is what they told us. They want us to go away,” Libios added.
Libios said the Chinese Coast Guard were using rubber boats with sirens when they were being ordered to leave.
“They used siren, like a patrol car. Rubber boats. (They were) like an ambulance very noisy, and they always say ‘go go’. It ( The boat) also have moving lights,” he said.
“They were shooing us from morning until afternoon. They did not leave us,” he added.
Libios said he and eight fishermen from Brgy. Cato, Infanta, Pangasinan arrived at the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal last December 2.
Only one Chinese Coast Guard ship was located at the mouth or the entrance of the Bajo de Masinloc. Libios said when they arrived on December 2, “we were not shooed yet, but on December 5, four rubber boats were deployed (and) then (they) forcibly shooed us.” .
Libios said the Chinese Coast Guard started to shoo them away after three Chinese Coast Guard ships arrived with two blue Chinese vessels and 17 Chinese finishing boats.
He believed they were driven away because of the Chinese fishing boats that entered the shoal.
Libios said these fishing boats collect giant clams. “Chinese fishing boats get giant clams and other marine species, but most of them really gets giant clams,” he said.
Filipino fishermen were no longer harassed by Chinese ships at Bajo de Masinloc, the local name of Scarborough Shoal in the fourth week of October. But Filipino fishermen are limited to the fringe of the shoal and not in the lagoon.
The area was off-limits to Filipino fishermen since 2012 when China occupied the area after a two-month stand-off with Philippine ships. The Philippines filed a complaint before the Arbitral Tribunal, claiming that area belongs to Manila.
The Arbitral Tribunal affirmed Philippine sovereignty over the area but China said it does not respect the decision. Robina Asido/DMS
