(We yield this space to the statement of concerned students, faculty and alumni of the University of the Philippines Visayas – College Of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences due to its timeliness. – Ed.)
WE, THE CONCERNED students, faculty and alumni of the University of the
Philippines Visayas – College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, condemn the
recent acts of aggression by a Chinese vessel to a Filipino fishing vessel, F/B
GEM-VIR1, at Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea, and the subsequent
downplaying of the incident by the Duterte administration. We demand full
accountability not only on the crew of the Chinese vessel for endangering the
lives of the 22 Filipino fisherfolk, but also on the Duterte administration for
betraying the trust of our fisherfolk, the constituents whom this government
should be protecting and serving.
The recent incident just proves how Filipino fishers are treated with utter disrespect and afforded little dignity by the Chinese fishers. What is more damning is the fact that the area is very well part of the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and yet our fishers cannot even sail close and exercise their exclusive rights to fish in the said waters. The Duterte administration had shied away from protesting the said actions of the Chinese, and had not even sent gray ships in the area to assert our sovereignty.
The ramming incident is not the only aggression that took place at the West Philippine Sea (WPS). On June 2018, Chinese coastguard were caught extorting from Filipino fishers. However, the government, rather than choosing to address the issue, also downplayed the incident citing it only as “barter”. Additionally, the government’s response towards the recent issue on the poaching of giant clams by the Chinese in the WPS further affirmed that Duterte will never side with the Filipinos but is instead willing to forego serious matters where the Chinese are concerned.
All these are on top of all other betrayals including (1) the forgotten promise to create the Department of Fisheries to develop the long-neglected and undervalued fisheries sector; (2) the implementation of TRAIN Law which further burdened and impoverished poor fishers; (3) the sham Manila Bay rehabilitation and reclamation which will displace thousands of fisherfolk and destroy critical habitats; and (4) the importation of 17, 000 tons of galunggong which created competition in the local market and put the fisherfolk in an even more dire situation, among others. We cannot wait for any more blatant disregard of our fisherfolk before taking a stand against these oppressive responses of the Duterte administration.
Seeing how the government treats the fisheries sector and the fisherfolk, we are inclined to believe that this administration puts the interest of the Chinese first rather than making the Filipino fishers and WPS a priority.
Our fisherfolk are among the poorest and most vulnerable sector in the society. Now, more than ever, is the time to stand in solidarity with them and condemn this blatant turncoatism by the Duterte administration. Let us translate our anger into concrete collective action. Hold Duterte and China accountable!
