Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday called on the Department of National Defense (DND) to take China’s Coast Guard Law seriously.
(Senate of the Philippines / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Hontiveros issued the statement after DND Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said that China’s new law did not concern Filipino fisherfolk because they were not armed.
“Paulit-ulit na lang bang ibabalewala ang mga banta ng Tsina? Sarili nating mga mangingisda ang mismong nagiging biktima ng pananalasa ng China, pero bakit hindi pa rin sila pinaniniwalaan ng gobyerno? Sila na nga ang nawalan ng hanapbuhay dahil sa paghahari-harian ng China, tapos, hindi pa pumapanig sa kanila ang mga taong dapat sana’y unang unang tagapagtanggol ng ating kapwa Pilipino?,” Hontiveros said.
(Shall we continue ignoring threats from China? Our own fishermen have been victims by China’s intrusions. But why is our government does not believe them? They are the ones losing their livelihood because of China’s bullying yet they are not being defended by the ones who are supposed to protect them?)
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee, chaired by Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, earlier held a closed-door meeting with heads of different government agencies on China’s Coast Guard Law.
Hontiveros recently expressed alarm over China’s new law which allows its Coast Guard to fire on foreign vessels that enter Beijing-claimed territories.
A United Nations Arbitration Court dismissed in 2016 China’s ‘’historical ’’claim over most parts of South China Sea which includes the West Philippine Sea.
Earlier, Lorenzana had said that “foreign vessels, I understand, will be armed vessels by other countries.”
However, Collin Koh — a researcher who focuses on maritime security in Southeast Asia and the South China Sea — said that the law does not state if “foreign vessels” are armed or not.
“We should focus on enforcing our laws in our own waters, because China will interpret and implement its law the way it pleases. We should step up our game by protecting the livelihood and economic interests of our compatriots in the West Philippine Sea,” Hontiveros said.
While she welcomes Lorenzana’s promise that the government will have Philippine Coast Guard and Philippine Navy patrols ensure our fisherfolk’s protection in the disputed waters, Hontiveros stressed that the DND should stop dismissing the concerns raised by fisherfolks themselves.
“The DND better start listening to our fisherfolk. Nakakalungkot na may mga balita pang baka nagsisinungaling daw ang mga mangingisdang nagrereklamo sa panghaharass ng Tsina. Sila na nga ang mawawalan ng kabuhayan, sila pa ang sinungaling?” Hontiveros said. (It is sad to hear of reports that our fishermen who claimed China is harassing them could not be telling the truth. They our the ones who will lose their livelihood and yet they are painted as liars?)
“Dapat tayo ang unang tagapagtanggol ng mga mangingisda natin, because China will not protect them. We don’t have the luxury of downplaying any external threat, especially one coming from a country that has, time and again, pillaged our seas and our people,” Hontiveros added. (We should be the ones who should defend them…)