Contrary to the statement of former President Rodrigo Duterte that the West Philippine Sea (WPS) offers but a tiny amount of catch to Filipino fisherfolk, the disputed waters account for a sizable portion of the country’s commercial fisheries output.
Duterte issued the statement during his “Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa” program on the Apollo Quiboloy-owned SMNI TV station on Nov. 6, 2023. He was asked to comment on the “verbal sparring” between Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela and retired Chinese senior Air Force Colonel Zhou Bo, senior fellow of the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, China in a conference on the South China Sea on Oct. 26 in Vietnam.
Zhou, reacting to a virtual presentation by Tarriela, called the Filipinos barbarians, citing the killing in 2000 of a Chinese fisherman by the PCG and another one from Taiwan in 2013.
Tarriela shot back, saying the Philippines abides by international rules-based order. He said the videos and images he presented to the international community showed who really are barbaric.
China is claiming sovereign rights over nearly the entire South China Sea, including the WPS, which belongs to the Philippines Exclusive Economic Zone. In its July 12, 2016 decision, the Arbitral Tribunal in The Hague invalidated China’s historic claims and “nine-dash line” under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
‘Only a few fish’
Speaking mostly in Filipino during his TV program, Duterte said, “It’s a question of territory. It’s all water, but still territory. According to them, I said it’s just water. Correct. It’s because underneath the water are resources. But actually what I’m saying is why would we fight to the death over that water.
“In short, we can only talk. We cannot go beyond words, period. If we go to arms, we’d be nothing. We can only use words. I’m not trying to justify or defend China. As a matter of fact, at least, I don’t like what they do, they drive away small fishermen there. In God’s grace, they’re not doing it now, to the credit of China. Tutal, ilan lang naman makuha na isda rin diyan ng mga fisherman natin (anyway, only a few fish can be caught there by our fishermen).” [emphasis supplied]
But the Philippine Space Agency, citing a 2020 study titled “The fisheries of the South China Sea: Major trends since 1950” by D. Pauly and C. Liang, said the WPS hosts a diverse marine ecosystem that comprises around 30 percent of the coral reef in the country with its Kalayaan Group of Islands, and contributes to around 27 percent of the country’s commercial fisheries production, “which serves as a crucial source to support the country’s economy and food security.”
In a statement posted on its website on Sept. 22, 2023, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) “expresses grave concern over the reported destruction of coral reefs, marine ecosystems and biodiversity resources in the West Philippine Sea.”
“Scientific studies have established that the marine ecosystem in the Kalayaan Island Group is critical for the sustainable supply of fish and coral larvae in the Philippines and the region. The rich biodiversity in the reefs, shoals and coasts is documented by the DENR, the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority, the University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute, and other partner-organizations,” the statement said.
“We, therefore, strongly deplore any activity that leads to the damage and destruction of the coral reefs in the Kalayaan Island Group. We join the call for signatory States and their citizens to adhere to Article 192 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea – to protect and preserve the marine environment,” it added.
According to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, as of last Jan. 23, there are at least 373,733 fisherfolk that depend on the WPS.
Settled
Zhou was referring to the fatal shooting of 65-year old Hong Shi Cheng in the Balintang Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines on May 9, 2013, when a PCG patrol chased his fishing boat that allegedly entered the Philippines EEZ, parts of which overlap with Taiwan’s.
The coast guard officers responsible for the killing were charged and found guilty of homicide and made to pay indemnity and moral damages to his family.
President Benigno Aquino III sent a personal representative to apologize to the victim’s family.
The Chinese fisherman was killed on May 27, 2000, while seven of his crew were arrested following a clash with PCG personnel off the coast of Barangay Ibaan in Rizal, Palawan province.
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MindaNews is a verified signatory to the Code of Principles of the International Fact-Checking Network. (H. Marcos C. Mordeno / MindaNews)