A FILIPINO who goes fishing near Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) clarified Monday, June 11, that they are not being harassed by the Chinese Coast Guard.
Instead, he said they often barter for supplies from the Chinese with fish.
"They (Chinese Coast Guard personnel) do not totally leave without giving us anything. Sometimes, they would give us noodles, cigarettes, and water. Sometimes, when we do not have enough water, we go to them to ask for some. We call it barter," fisherman Romel Cejuela told Palace reporters.
Cejuela, who was presented to the media in Malacañang, said his group's May 20 encounter with the Chinese Coast Guard who "forcefully" took their catch could not be considered harassment.
"I would want to clarify that there's no harassment," Cejuela, one of the three Filipino fishermen presented before the media, said in Filipino.
"Perhaps, they are just forcefully taking our catch. Since we could not understand each other, they would go to our vessel, check our container, and pick the best fish," he added.
Scarborough Shoal, a small ring of reefs, lies about 230 kilometers from the Philippines' main island of Luzon and 650 kilometers from Hainan Island, the nearest major Chinese land mass.
The administration of then President Benigno Aquino III lost effective control of the Scarborough Shoal after an April 2012 stand-off with China, prompting Beijing to block Filipino fishermen from entering the shoal.
In July 2016, the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that it was illegal for China to prevent Filipinos from fishing in the waters of Scarborough Shoal.
Filipinos are once again allowed to fish around the shoal under the watch of President Rodrigo Duterte, who maintains a non-confrontational approach in settling the territorial disputes with China.
Cejuela revealed that to date, China is still the one that has control over Scarborough Shoal, noting that he has not seen any members of the Philippine Coast Guard patrolling the area.
"The Philippine Coast Guard does not go there. There's none. We only see Chinese. (But it's better) because it would be more dangerous for us (if the Philippine Coast Guard is also there]," he said.
Cejuela made the clarification after media outfit GMA NEWS reported on June 7 that the Chinese Coast Guard has been habitually asking for fish from the Filipino fishermen in Scarborough Shoal.
GMA News also released a May 20 video footage from the Filipino fisher folk, showing two members of the Chinese Coast Guard going aboard a Filipino vessel to personally take the fish stored in a container.
Cejuela said the video obtained by GMA News clearly showed that the Chinese nationals did not harass him and his fellow fishermen.
"The video obtained (by GMA News) does not show total harassment," Cejuela said.
On June 8, Malacañang promised to file a diplomatic protest against China, if the reported harassment in the Scarborough Shoal is validated.
But Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr., in the latest interview with him, said the Philippine government would no longer pursue a diplomatic protest, since Chinese President Xi Jinping's administration already vowed to take necessary steps with regard to the Scarborough incident.
"This (recent incident in Scarborough Shoal) is not acceptable," Roque said.
"Of course, they (Filipino fishermen) deserve better. That's why we're taking steps to address the issue with the Chinese. We have addressed this issue to the Chinese and we're demanding that the Chinese take steps to stop the Coast Guard from doing these acts," he added.
Roque also noted that he had received assurance from Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua that the Chinese government would impose appropriate sanctions on members of the Chinese Coast Guard who would be proven harassing Filipino fishermen.
"I was assured by the ambassador that this is not China's policy. They will investigate, and if the accusations of the Filipino fishermen will be proven true, China will discipline the members of Chinese Coast Guard," the Palace official said.
Despite the incident, Roque said the Philippines would keep a non-combative stance concerning the South China Sea disputes, reiterating that the Duterte government does not want to strain its improved ties with China.
He also raised the possibility that Filipino fishermen may be blocked anew in the disputed waters, if the Philippines asserts the arbitral ruling against China.
"Some are saying that we have to assert (the Philippines' sovereign rights to the disputed sea) and wage a war on China. Some are saying that we should be tough in dealing with China, to the point that it could result to war," he said.
"But what's important is we should understand that during the leadership of Mr. Aquino, the policy to fight China only resulted in Beijing's decision to block Filipinos from fishing (around the contested waters)," Roque added. (SunStar Philippines)