Pinoy marine scientists’ help sought in assessing West Philippine Sea damage

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) will need the help of Filipino scientists to assess the damage allegedly made by Chinese vessels to the corals and other marine resources in the West Philippine Sea.

During a press briefing last Friday, PCG Commodore Jay Tarriela, who speaks on the agency’s behalf about issues on the West Philippine Sea, said that while he understood that local marine scientists may have other priorities in research, “one thing we really need to prioritize if they will allow are areas of national security concern.”

“The country is willing to accept help from allies like the US, Japan, Australia and countries in the European Union,” Tarriela added.

The PCG official, however, warned that “someone would claim that these reports from foreign marine scientists are biased, and yet we believe them.”

“As much as possible I think it is better for us to deploy our own Filipino marine scientists, so we won’t be told that we have another tainted source when it comes to information,” he said in English and Filipino.

Previously, Tarriela declared that it would seek help from the University of the Philippines’ Marine Science Institute to perform an underwater survey to measure the damage to corals in Rozul Reef and Escoda Shoal, which resulted in less fish caught by Filipino fishermen.

He maintained that the Chinese maritime militia conducting illegal and destructive fishing activities could be blamed for crushing the corals where fish usually thrive.

During the previous underwater study, Tarriela reported that the PCG saw “minimal to no signs of life” in the said areas with “visible discoloration of the seabed.”

He added that crushed corals could also have been “dumped.”

Meanwhile, Tarriela asserted that Chinese authorities became less aggressive in guarding areas disputed by both China and the Philippines due to the presence of journalists whom the PCG called to join.

He said that it has been a “tactic” for the PCG to include journalists during their missions in Ayungin Shoal and in Bajo de Masinloc, which showed China’s “dangerous maneuvers” toward Filipino ships and even an attempt to discharge water cannons to drive them away.

“We are relying on the lenses of your camera. We know for a fact that the China Coast Guard and the People’s Republic of China as a whole have this kind of sensitivity when it comes to your lenses,” Tarriela told journalists.