'Natakot kami': Filipino fisher details Chinese vessels' harassment near Sabina Shoal

MANILA, Philipines — It took four Chinese Coast Guard vessels and one "gray ship" to keep a tiny Filipino fishing boat from casting its nets in Sabina Shoal.

For Filipino fisherman Arnel Lepalam and his crew aboard the FFB Hadassah, what began as a regular fishing expedition turned into a nine-day saga of intimidation and harassment that would force them to abandon their trip to Sabina (Escoda) Shoal twice in October.

Lepalam's three-page handwritten sworn statement about the incident was sent to reporters by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) late Tuesday. 

In his report, the captain of FFB Hadassah recalled being shadowed and rammed by Chinese vessels and being forced to alter course multiple times to avoid confrontation. 

LOOK: A Filipino fisherman details his experience being harassed by Chinese Coast Guard vessels in the West Philippine Sea. The incident took place when he attempted to fish in the waters near Sabina (Escoda) Shoal in October. | via @chicristina_

???? Philippine Coast Guard pic.twitter.com/tXvDgDUlmv

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WATCH: Chinese Coast Guard vessels tail and harass Filipino fishers trying to fish in the waters near Sabina (Escoda) Shoal early October. Video was taken by Arnel Lepalam, captain of fishing boat F/B Hadassah, who said he was eventually forced to turn back to Palawan out of… pic.twitter.com/aaAi3MDxv3

— Philstar.com (@PhilstarNews) November 13, 2024

The first encounter occurred around 4 a.m. on October 9, when Lepalam's crew spotted the first CCG vessel maneuvering close to their boat. An hour later, Lepalam said he noticed another CCG ship launching two speedboats toward their location. 

By 6:10 a.m., the CCG vessels' speedboats closed in and rammed the Filipino fishing boat's outrigger (katig). This forced them to turn away from Sabina Shoal. The Chinese vessels also blasted their sirens as they drove Lepalam's fishing boat away.

"(Dahil dito natakot kami at binago namin ang aming direksyon pabalik ng Bombay Shoal.) We were scared, so we changed direction back to Bombay Shoal," Lepalam said in Filipino in his sworn statement. 

Even as the Filipino fishers had already turned away, the CCG vessel and the speedboats continued trailing Lepalam's boat at approximately 300 milimeters, according to the statement.

Another attempt. The harassment did not end there. At around 1:40 p.m., Lepalam said a third CCG vessel approached his boat, which was already 22 nautical miles away from Sabina Shoal. 

Crew members from the CCG vessel then used radio communications to urge them to turn away, Lepalam said.

Unable to fish in their intended location, Lepalam and his crew spent the next week at Iroquois Reef. They decided to fish there instead "para hindi masayang ang aming ginastos (so our money would not go to waste," Lepalam said.  

Blocked again. It's unclear how much fish Lepalam and his crew was able to catch here, but he said they decided to return to Sabina Shoal on October 17. 

"Napagpasiyahan naming subukan muling bumalik sa Sabina Shoal upang doon ay maghanap buhay (We decided to try to return to Sabina Shoal to make a living there again)," he said.

This time, Lepalam and his crew encountered a gray vessel numbered "629" and a fourth CCG vessel, These two boats tailed the Filipino fishing boat until it reached some 15 nautical miles away from Sabina Shoal.  

"While we were sailing around 15 nautical miles northwest of Sabina Shoal, the CCG 4103 approached us and began sounding its horn repeatedly, preventing us from entering Sabina Shoal," Lepalam said.

"We also heard someone saying, 'Filipino fishing boat, you are not allowed to enter.' The rest of what they said was unclear," he added. 

"Out of fear, we decided to leave the area and return to Quezon, Palawan," he said. 

Lepalam's affidavit detailing the incident will be forwarded by the PCG to the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea. It is unclear whether patrol vessels from the Philippine government were present in the area at the time of the incident.

Pattern of intimidation. Chinese vessels' actions toward Lepalam and his crew echoes similar experiences of harassment that Filipino fishermen have reported to media and government authorities in recent years. 

China continues to press its sweeping claims over nearly the entire South China Sea, even waters within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. It does not recognize the 2016 ruling that invalidated its so-called nine-dash line.

The impact of these confrontations is increasingly reflected in declining fish catches from the West Philippine Sea. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the country's fish catch in the West Philippine Sea dropped by 6.78 percent to 101,039.54 metric tons in the first half of 2023, compared to 108,392.48 MT in the same period last year.

Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro said on Tuesday that China is pressuring the Philippines to give up its sovereign rights in the South China Sea.

"What we see is an increasing demand by Beijing for us to concede our sovereign rights in the area," he said.