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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider More Pinoy fishermen in WPS due to stronger AFP presence – WesCom

More Pinoy fishermen in WPS due to stronger AFP presence – WesCom

Published Jun 14, 2023 07:39 am
More Filipino fishermen are now casting their nets in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) to earn a living as a result of the intensified presence of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the area.

*(File photo)

* This was pointed out by Vice Adm. Alberto Carlos, commander of the Palawan-based Western Command (WesCom), as he encouraged local fishermen to go to WPS to fish, assuring them that the military will be there to protect them from foreign forces that will shoo them away.   “Masaya ko pong ibabalita na dumarami na po ang nangingsidang Pilipino sa West Philippine Sea. Ito po ay lagi naming minumungkahi, hinihikayat ang ating mga kababayan na maglayag, pumalaot at mangisda. Ito ay ini-encourage namin para magkaroon kami ng katuwang sa pagwagayway ng ating bandila sa West Philippine Sea (I am happy to report that there is anincreasing number of Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea. We often suggest this, and we encourage our countrymen to sail and fish there. We urge them to be our partners in waving our flag in the West Philippine Sea),” Carlos said in a public briefing on Wednesday, June 14. He cited the situation in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in Kalayaan Island Group (Spratly Islands) which used to be avoided by fishermen due to fear of getting kicked out by roaming Chinese coast guard and navy ships. Ayungin Shoal is located 105 nautical miles west of Palawan. “Sa Ayungin Shoal, siguro dala ng balitang nadidinig noong araw, may agam agam sila pumunta. I’m happy to report na sa loob ng dalawang buwan, mayroon tayong mga Filipino fishing boats sa Ayungin Shoal na mapayapang nangingisda sa ating mga karagatan doon (In Ayungin Shoal, maybe because of reports they [fishermen] heard in the past years, they had doubts to go there. I’m happy to report that within the past two months, the Filipino fishing boats in Ayungin Shoal are back and they are peacefully fishing in our waters),” Carlos noted. The military commander attributed this to the stronger presence of the Philippine Navy (PN), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in the area. He enumerated three things to uphold the sovereign rights of the Philippines in the WPS: first, effective occupation of the military in island detachments; second is to increase maritime or naval presence by deploying ships from the navy, coast guard, and BFAR to conduct patrol operations; and third, is to ensure maritime domain awareness by deploying planes and sensors to monitor the county’s vast archipelago and territorial waters.

Illegal fishing activities

 However, Carlos admitted that they still record illegal fishing activities in the WPS. Their last apprehension was in December 2022 when they caught Vietnamese fishermen allegedly encroaching into the waters of Pagasa (Thitu) Island. They also monitored foreign fishermen who conducted illegal fishing activities such as cyanide fishing and compressor fishing. “Ang atin pong tugon ay ang pagpapalakas ng maritime security operations, sa pakikipagtutulungan sa PCG at BFAR. Nagpapatrolya po ang ating barko para bantayan ang anumang illegal activities (We respond to that by strengthening our maritime security operations in partnership with the PCG and BFAR. Our ships are patrolling to safeguard our waters against illegal activities),” Carlos said.

Related Tags

Western Command Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos AFP WPS
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