'Pact to give Taiwan unlimited access to Phl oceans'
June 17, 2013 | 11:46am
MANILA, Philippines - Fisherfolk group Pamalakaya on Monday said the proposed government's fishery pact with Taiwan would grant Taipei's industrial fishing fleets unlimited access to Philippine ocean waters.
"The fishery pact which the Philippine government wants to clinch with Taiwan will put us in an extremely disadvantage position. It is like serving the country's marine wealth in silver platter to Taiwanese fishing giants at the expense of the patrimonial, sovereign and territorial rights of nearly 100 million Filipino people," Pamalakaya vice chairman Salvador France said.
France said that only a handful of Philippine fishing fleets could explore the country's ocean waters compared to the vastly improved Taiwanese fishing fleets which regularly poach inside the country's territorial waters to fish for tuna and other high value marine resources.
"Taiwan wants unlimited fishing access to the Philippines and that is the real score and the Manila government seems ready to (approve) the request," he added.
France said the Aquino's proposed fishery pact with Taiwan will expand the coverage of the existing Philippine-Taiwan Sea Lane Accord signed during the administration of former President Ferdinand Marcos and was styrengthened by an executive order signed by the president's mother -- former President Corazon Aquino and former Executive Secretary and now Senator Franklin Drilon on Aug. 5, 1991.
France was referring to the late President Aquino's Executive Order No. 473 entitled the Establishment of Sea Lanes for the Use of Fishing Vessels in Proceeding to and From Their Fishing Areas in the South Pacific Ocean Subject to Certain Conditions.
"While what was given by former President Aquino and then Executive Secretary to Taipei was sea passage rights, the same Executive Order had effectively allowed Taiwanese fishing vessels to poach and fish under the cloak of sea passage rights. Now, the son will try to legitimize this ocean-grabbing spree through the forging of a one-sided agreement," he said.
He said the Aquino administration is also likely to approve the request of Taiwan's Nan Tsan Aurora Ltd. to invest in three different export-oriented projects inside the Aurora Pacific Economic and Free Port zone in Casiguran, Aurora.
France said it as a sign of goodwill with Taipei prior to the discussion and eventual approval of fishery cooperation pact.
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