More rotational patrol will be conducted in the West Philippine Sea as part of the measures to protect Filipino fishermen, a government security official said on Thursday, Sept. 26
This was assured during the meeting by the National Security Council (NSC) with over 150 fishers from the towns of Subic, Santa Cruz, and Masinloc on Wednesday.
“Ang naging commitment po ng national government sa kanila, ‘Tuloy nyo lang ‘yung pangingisda nyo and tataasan ng gobyerno ‘yung rotational presence (The commitment of the national government to them was, "Keep on fishing, and the government will increase the rotational presence," said Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya, the spokesperson of NSC, said in a radio interview.
"So ang ibig pong sabihin BFAR (Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources), ano, constant presence doon, ‘pag nawala si BFAR, papalit si Coast Guard, ‘pag nawala si Coast Guard, babalik si BFAR. Ganoon po ‘yung naging usapan namin doon para naman mayroong laging nakabantay sa kanila ( This means that the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) will have a constant presence there. When BFAR leaves, the Coast Guard will take over, and when the Coast Guard leaves, BFAR will return. That was the arrangement we discussed to ensure that someone is always watching over them),” he added.
During their recent discussion about their experiences fishing in the WPS, Malaya said fishers told the NSC that they had varying accounts—some reported being driven away as close as 20 nautical miles from Scarborough Shoal, while others said they were able to fish peacefully, even getting as close as 200 to 300 meters from the shoal.
The NSC spokesperson acknowledged that there will be times when government assets are unavailable due to limited resources and deployments elsewhere.
He said it was agreed in their discussion that the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) station in Subic, Zambales would be responsible for providing advisories to the fisherfolk when such situations arise
“[Ka]pag sinabi nila na, ‘O, ‘wag muna kayong mangisda sa araw na to kasi ganito ang sitwasyon’, kailangan po wag silang tumulak at doon naman sa mga panahon na maayos ang karagatan at masisiguro ng ating pamahalaan yung kanilang kaligtasan ay tuluy-tuloy silang mangingisda so nagkaroon ng kumbaga, nagkaroon ng koordinasyon, mas magandang koordinasyon between the Philippine Coast Guard station doon sa Zambales at ating mangingisda (When they say, 'Don’t go fishing today because the situation is like this,' the fishermen need to comply. But on days when the waters are calm and the government can ensure their safety, they should continue fishing. So, there has been better coordination established between the Philippine Coast Guard station in Zambales and our fishermen),” said Malaya.
Meanwhile, the NSC confirmed that there is an agreement with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to provide additional aid to fishermen during challenging situations.
This, according to Malaya, is not a one-time deal but an ongoing commitment from the DSWD. He added that they are coordinating with the agency to ensure assistance is given when fisherfolk are unable to go out to sea.
Earlier, the NSC accused China of violating aviation safety regulations after one of its military helicopters shadowed a BFAR vessel during a patrol mission in Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough or Panatag Shoal) in the WPS.
In a statement, Malaya revealed the details of the shadowing incident involving the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) aircraft RP-1077, a Cessna C208B Grand Caravan EX, and a People's Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) helicopter with the tail number "65."
The NSC spokesperson said the BFAR plane was conducting an aerial patrol near Bajo de Masinloc on September 23 when the PLA-N helicopter suddenly approached it.
In July 2016, China’s nine-dash line claims in the South China Sea were rejected by an arbitral tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The case was brought by the Philippines based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).