More abundant catch by Filipino fishers seen at Bajo de Masinloc

Filipino fishermen are expected to catch more fish at Bajo de Masinloc (Panatag or Scarborough Shoal) after the national government directed the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to conduct a rotational deployment of their vessels in the area.

Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson on West Philippine Sea, said the presence of government vessels in Bajo de Masinloc aims to protect Filipino fishermen from the reported harassment of Chinese vessels.

“Based on our engagement with Filipino fishermen, they were saying that they can fish in Bajo de Masinloc for a longer period of time whenever there are PCG or BFAR vessels in the vicinity. It’s because the China Coast Guard are more concerned with the presence of the vessels from the Philippine government instead of harassing the fishing boats,” Tarriela said.

“That means we are able to help our fishermen just by our mere presence. The Chinese vessels are spending their time chasing us instead of the Filipino fishermen,” he added.

Around 275,520 metric tons of fish are being caught in the West Philippine Sea, representing around six to seven percent of the national fisheries production in the country. Of this, around 20 to 30 percent are sourced in Bajo de Masinloc.

This month, the PCG and BFAR started the rotational deployment of their vessels to patrol Bajo de Masinloc and assist local fishermen against any potential harassment from Chinese vessels.

However, the intensified presence of government vessels in the shoal does not meant that the Philippines wants to provoke China nor escalate the tension in the West Philippine Sea, according to Tarriela.

“Are we provoking China? Are we escalating it? I don’t think so. With or without the rotational deployment of PCG and BFAR vessels in Bajo de Masinloc, the Chinese vessels will be there anyway,” the PCG spokesman said.

“Our objective here is to protect Filipino fishermen, to make sure they will be able to fish in Bajo de Masinloc. Even before the presence of China Coast Guard in Bajo de Masinloc, several generations of fishermen from Zambales and Pangasinan have already frequented this area,” he noted.

Further, the national government “does not intend to start a war,” according to Tarriela, as it only wants to ensure the country’s food security through an abundant supply of fish in the West Philippine Sea.

“Are we prepared for war or conflict? We go back to our Constitution, war is not something that we don’t use as an option to settle any issue,” he said.

“Obviously I have to be very honest, if we are going to go head-to-head with the military of China and our Armed Forces of the Philippines which is still being modernized with the support of the national government, of course in terms of ratio, they are more powerful than us,” he stressed.

Nonetheless, Tarriela said that going head-to-head with China’s military does not define the country’s strategy in the West Philippine Sea.

“This is the very reason why we reach out to our allies, friends and other like-minded states. We have already established a lot of defense cooperation with other countries, it’s not about going head-to-head for a conflict with all these forces of China,” the PCG official explained.

“Again, there are diplomatic ways for us to make sure that the tension will eventually go down in the West Philippine Sea. We don’t intend to provoke anybody, as much as possible we de-escalate the tension although again, we are on the receiving end and they are the one escalating,” he concluded.