PAG-ASA ISLAND, Philippines – Harassment still prevails in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) as the Chinese Coast Guard continues to intimidate fisherfolk on Pag-asa Island, contradicting earlier claims of authorities that fishers are free to fish in the contested area.
In interviews with The STAR, residents on this island said fisherfolk decided not to go where Chinese militia and coast guard are deployed to avoid being harassed, rather than claim that intimidation from Chinese vessels was a thing of the past.
Larry Hugo, who in 2021 posted on Facebook that the Chinese Coast Guard tried to ram his boat, recalled how furious he was at the time.
“I nearly died because of that incident. I did not expect it to trend on social media as I only shared th video to my friends,” he said.
Hugo noted that despite his sudden fame, the same problem faces fisherfolk in Pag-Asa Island.
“The Philippine Navy instructed us to stop going to areas where there are Chinese ships. As a result, we are forced to just fish near Pag-asa Island,” he said, explaining why their fish catch suffered.
He said from one fish tub, the catch decreased “because of the presence of foreign nationals who are even using illegal fishing (methods) like cyanide.”
Filipino fisherfolk there have no choice but to make do with their limited catch of only half a tub, he said, as they do not go fishing every day.?
When asked what his message was to the government, Hugo said: “We cannot fish in areas we used to visit, it’s too dangerous as the Chinese are there. We cannot confront them as they are a super power.”
Earlier, BRP Francisco Dagohoy commanding officer Lieutenant Commander Mark Adrias said there were no incidents of harassment recorded affecting fisherfolk at Pag-asa Island.
Fisherman Ronnie Cojamco backed the narration of Hugo.
In a separate interview, Cojamco said fishermen chose not to sail to the sandbar near Pag-asa to prevent any encounter with Chinese Coast Guard and militia.
“There is no harassment as no fishermen will dare go near the area (occupied by China). When the Chinese (Coast Guard) sees us, they will not leave us. They blocked us so it’s not true that there is no harassment. The Chinese ships are still there, it is we who decided to avoid them,” Cojamco said.
He said he arrived in Pag-asa in 1999 to work at a construction site until he decided to live in the island with his family.
According to Cojamco, when fisherfolk encountered harassment, they just reported the incident to the authorities afterwards.
“We go out to fish on our own,” he said.
He said that the sightings of Chinese vessels near Pag-asa is a normal occurrence after eight ships, including a Chinese Coast Guard were spotted near the area when the BRP Dagohoy arrived last Tuesday night as part of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) mission to provide more than P4 million assistance to the two fisherfolk associations in the island.
Lack of respect
“They (Chinese vessels) do not leave regardless if there are many Philippine vessels… If we have ships here, they will even increase the number of vessels in the area. This only shows they have no respect,” he added.
Cojamco said that while the Philippine Navy and Philippine Coast Guard patrol the area, it is not as regular compared to the Chinese vessels.
Both Philippine Coast Guard and Philippine Navy visit once a month but have detachments in Pag-asa Island, Cojamco noted. He recalled that prior to 2007, the fisherfolk were free to sail until the Chinese encroachment.
“It was 2007 when they started the reclamation until in 2012 when the Chinese already controlled the areas. Before there were only militias but now the (Chinese) Coast Guard does not leave the area,” Cojamco said.
The island coordinator said this resulted in less fish catch, causing fisherfolk to find alternative livelihood such as construction work. For her part, Noraida Badilla said her fisherman husband Ronel also experienced harassment.
“When he was fishing a Chinese Coast Guard suddenly approached him, he decided to go back as he was alone during the incident,” Badilla recalled.
She added that there were instructions from Philippine authorities to avoid the sandbars to prevent unnecessary encounters with Chinese vessels.
Badilla said that it was in 2009 when her family settled at Pag-asa Island.?
“When I got pregnant, we decided to leave (for Roxas, Palawan) as there were no facilities at that time. We returned in 2016 when the school was constructed,” she said.?
She added that aside from fishing, they were also hired as contractual employees by the local government unit (LGU) but were not renewed after the election.
“My husband focused on fishing but because of dwindling fish catch, he also works as a construction worker,” said Badilla, whose husband earns P350 a day.
Badilla said the LGU provides a regular rice subsidy to the residents in the island every 15th of the month.
“Each adult receives 16 kilos, so my husband and I get 32 kilos aside from the allotment given to our children,” Badilla said, noting the residents just need to spend for other needs.
According to Badilla, there is also water supply from a filtration area and each household has its own water meter.
Badilla said that the construction of an airport will boost the income and tourism in the island, especially if fish catch is lean. A group of tourists has already visited, she said.
Hugo said the P4.95 million livelihood from BFAR will help boost the income of fisherfolk and residents.
On Wednesday, BFAR officials conducted training on proper fish handling, good manufacturing practices and sanitation standards to help residents preserve the economic value of their catch.