Compromise between Philippines, China won't solve fishers' woes — group
MANILA, Philippines — For Filipino fishers whose livelihoods have been affected by years of territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea, a compromise between Manila and Beijing will not relieve their misery.
Fisherfolk group PAMALAKAYA stressed this Thursday after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to “find a compromise and a solution” that would allow Filipino fishers to have access to their traditional fishing grounds. Filipino fishermen face harassment from Chinese vessels, preventing them from entering prime fishing waters.
Instead of finding a compromise, China must recognize the 2016 landmark arbitration ruling that invalidated Beijing’s expansive claims over a large part of the South China Sea, PAMALAKAYA said.
“We don’t need Xi Jinping to come up with a ‘compromise’ to address the plight of Filipino fishers because we already have the legal and political claim over our territorial waters,” said Fernando Hicap, national chairperson of PAMALAKAYA.
“China should leave the Philippine waters immediately and unconditionally,” he added.
The group earlier said that China’s aggressive acts in the West Philippine Sea, including its large-scale poaching activities, have resulted in marine degradation and depletion of fish stocks.
Marcos has insisted he will not let China trample on the maritime rights of the Philippines in the area. His predecessor, former President Rodrigo Duterte, led a foreign policy pivot to Beijing in exchange for investment pledges.
Oil and gas talks
China’s state-owned broadcaster CCTV reported that Xi told Marcos that Beijing also wished to “promote cooperation on oil and gas development in non-disputed areas.”
“That means a BIG NO to cooperation in Reed Bank,” said former Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio.
Reed Bank, also known as Recto Bank, is an underwater reef formation in the West Philippine Sea that is said to contain large reserves of oil and gas. — with report from Agence France-Presse
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