MANILA – China’s “no trespassing” policy in the West Philippines Sea has not affected the countries fisheries production, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said.
According to BFAR spokesperson Nazario Briguera, while there are some fishes in the market that came from the contested waters, there are still other sources.
“Yes, the contribution of the West Philippine Sea is significant in terms of our national fisheries production,” Briguera said in a forum on Tuesday. “But we don’t see the unilateral declaration of China will actually create impact in terms of production because first and foremost we don’t recognize this declaration.”
BFAR previously said the West Philippine Sea accounts for 6% to 7% of the Philippines’ entire fisheries sector.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), for their part, said the number of Filipino fishing boats in the Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc has increased despite China’s new ruling.
“First and foremost, the Philippines does not recognize this unilateral declaration of China. The Philippines will continue to fish in the West Philippine Sea because this is part of our exclusive economic zone,” Briguera said.
“For now, we have not received reports that our fishermen are being arrested, but if they do so… this would be another provocation on the part of China and this is a new violation of the international law, particularly UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea),” he added.
China is unilaterally enforcing a regulation, which took effect on June 15, directing its coast guard to detain without trial foreigners that will “trespass” in the South China Sea./PN
