‘Seized dredger not the only Chinese vessel in Philippine waters’

MANILA, Philippines — The Chinese-owned MV Zhonhai 68 was not the only dredging vessel illegally operating in Philippine waters, the fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said yesterday.

“This was not the first time and definitely not the only Chinese dredging vessel to operate in our coastal waters. Local fishers have been lamenting the decrease of fish catch due to rampant dredging operations in the provinces of Zambales and Bataan,” said Bobby Roldan, the group’s vice chair for Luzon.

In a statement, Pamalakaya called on the government to punish to the “fullest extent of the law” the Chinese dredging vessel apprehended by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) off waters of Bataan last Wednesday.

The PCG seized MV Zhonhai 68 after it was found conducting dredging activities off the coast of Bataan without authorization and other legal documents.

“This operation harms marine life through excavation of seabed and movement of solid particles, noise pollution and blurring of water that drive away the fish,” Roldan said.

Pamalakaya denounced the illegal presence and operations of the recently seized Chinese dredger, claiming it was the “highest violation of our national territory and patrimony.”

It also claimed that the catch of small fishers in the province decreased due to the presence of another Chinese dredging vessel MV Zhong Hai 69 Alfa (ZH 69), which ran aground off the coast of Botolan town in Zambales last year.

Pamalakaya said the ship was carrying and transporting dredged materials from Bucao River to Botolan’s neighboring coastal town Cabangan.

Roldan, a fisherman from Bataan, said the fisherfolk’s daily catch has been decreasing since the dredging operations in Zambales and Bataan.

He said that prior to the massive dredging activities, Bataan waters used to be abundant with fish and other marine resources, serving as alternative fishing grounds for local fishermen who are unable to go farther due to the presence of Chinese vessels and militias in Panatag or Scarborough Shoal.

“They (Chinese fishing vessels) are not only illegally entering our territory but were also poaching our marine resources. Now, China even has the gall to pass a law against foreign vessels to advance its illegal claims,” Roldan said in Filipino, referring to Beijing’s recently passed law allowing its coast guard to fire on foreign vessels and destroy foreign structures in the East China Sea and South China Sea.

“This legislation would heighten the antagonistic approach of Chinese militias against Filipino fishers conducting economic activities within our own fishing grounds,” Pamalakaya said in an earlier statement.

The Pamalakaya called on the government to stop, seize and punish every Chinese dredging vessel operating in Philippine waters.

“There is a clear and present threat to our sovereignty, marine environment and socio-economic rights of Filipino fishers. Authorities, especially the armed forces, are supposed to be keeping watch and guarding our national sovereignty, not busying itself with senseless red-tagging and anti-insurgency operations against civilians and activists in urban areas,” Roldan said.