PH condemns China Coast Guard’s harassment of Filipino fishermen off Bajo de Masinloc

The Philippine government called out China anew on Monday, Jan. 22, after its coast guard’s apparent harassment of Filipino fishermen off Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal) in Zambales despite an agreement by both parties to lower the tension in the South China Sea.

According to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), a China Coast Guard (CCG) ship deployed a rubber boat that chased Filipino fishing boat (FB) “Legendary Jo” last Jan. 12 off Bajo de Masinloc, which is located approximately 124 nautical miles west of Zambales and is within the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the country.

Jack Tabat, a fishermen from Zambales and one of those onboard the chased boat, said they were collecting sea shells near the south entrance of Bajo de Masinloc when the CCG personnel instructed them to return the shells they had gathered to the sea before being driven away.

Tabat further stated that five CCG personnel onboard the rubber boat grabbed FB Legendary Jo and prevented it from departing unless the fishermen threw back their gathered sea shells into the sea.

“We were hoping that this 2024, the situation in the West Philippine Sea will be much calmer but here we go again, there was another incident where our fishermen were driven away by the China Coast Guard. We are worried and we condemn this latest provocative action,” National Task Force for West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said in a public briefing.

Malaya recalled that the Philippines and Chinese governments agreed to deescalate the tension in the South China Sea through the conduct of dialogues during talks held in Shanghai last Thursday.

“There were talks from both parties to deepen the consultation and lower the tension. We appeal to China to match what our governments have agreed upon with appropriate actions on the ground,” he said.

“We hope that moving forward, these agreements would be implemented because it is not in the interest of the Philippines and China to escalate the tension this 2024,” he added.

Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for WPS, said the PCG has successfully identified the origin of the videos circulating on the internet showing the CCG’s confrontation with FB Legendary Jo.

In one of the videos, a man could be heard saying: “Ayan oh hinaharang nila ang mga bangkang Pilipino (Look at how they block the Philippine boats).”

Tarriela said the PCG has taken steps to gather sworn statements from the Filipino fishermen to get the complete picture of the incident.

“Currently, the PCG is awaiting the arrival of the fishing vessel, which was subjected to the China Coast Guard’s harassment. The PCG intend to gather testimonies from these fishermen as well,” he said.

AFP backs PCG

For the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), military spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said they will support “in any operational way” the PCG’s operation in Bajo de Masinloc.

Padilla said the latest harassment was considered an “alarming” incident by the AFP especially after it followed the firing of water cannon by CCG ships against vessels of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) that were just delivering supplies to Filipino fishermen at Bajo de Masinloc in December last year.

“We consider it alarming because the incidents are really coming closer to us but with the command conference that we had, there was a guidance by the President [Ferdinand Marcos Jr.] that we also try to see different approaches to how we handle the situation,” she noted.

The Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) which oversees military operations within Bajo de Masinloc has been regularly patrolling the area but Tarriela said that on the exact moment of the harassment, there was no presence of the Philippine Navy in the area.

“We do our regular patrols but our Navy also goes to our territorial seas in the West Philippine Sea. As to the circumstances on the location of the fishermen, there were no reports yet from the NOLCOM,” she said.

“Because of the vast area that they need to cover, we cannot really pinpoint at any point in time where we should focus,” Padilla noted.

With the latest harassment, Padilla vowed that the military will increase its patrol operation in Bajo de Masinloc and fortify its forces there.

“We will assure the public that we are continuously doing our regular operations in our territorial waters,” she said. — Martin Sadongdong