The perils faced by our fishermen

Many Filipinos are mourning the death of three fishermen after their fishing boat Dearyn was rammed reportedly by a Marshall Islands-registered commercial vessel off the waters of Pangasinan. The Philippine Coast Guard has identified the commercial vessel as Pacific Anna, a crude oil tanker that reportedly belongs to Sinokor Merchant Marine Co., a joint venture between Chinese and Korean companies established in 1989.

Hopefully, what happened was really an accident as initial investigations by the Philippine Coast Guard seem to indicate – and was not a deliberate intent to ram the fishing boat. People are waiting for the investigation to run its course, with President Marcos having given his assurance that justice will be served and those responsible for the incident that resulted in the deaths of the three fishermen that include the boat captain, and injured several other boat crew members, will be made accountable.

Whenever something like this happens, it brings into mind the incident involving Gem-Ver, a small fishing boat that was rammed by a Chinese trawler identified as Yuemaobinyu 42212, in the waters of Recto Bank in June 2019. Instead of helping, the Chinese abandoned the Filipino fishermen and left them floating at sea for several hours before they were thankfully rescued by a Vietnamese boat crew. What’s more, it took almost three years before the victims were compensated by the owners of the Chinese vessel who paid half of the compensation demanded by the victims.

The latest incident involving F/B Dearyn underscores the dangers that our fishermen face as they ply their trade in order to provide for their families. One of the biggest hazards that they face is inclement weather, with scientists saying that global warming has increased “storminess” as typhoons are becoming even more intense. In fact, there have been stories about fishing crew being hit by lightning during thunderstorms.

Their exposure to the elements – being rained on, enduring the high heat during daytime, then extremely cold weather at night – can make them susceptible to serious illness, with health experts warning that extended exposure to the sun in today’s world made hotter due to climate change can seriously cause cancer.

Undoubtedly, a fisherman’s life is physically demanding. The long hours at sea could lead to fatigue and exhaustion. The poor quality of sleep can also interfere with their concentration, such that when the boat suddenly rocks, they can slip or lose their balance (especially since the surface of the boat is almost always wet), resulting in injuries.

The presence of illegal structures can also compromise the safety of fishermen, especially small-scale ones because these illegal structures – such as the floating barrier placed by the China Coast Guard in Bajo de Masinloc – could get entangled in the engines or propellers of the fishing boat. Obviously, these illegal structures have to be removed when they get snagged, but since not all fishing crew are experts at diving, this could prove to be risky.

It’s therefore not surprising that many countries have condemned the placement of the 300-meter-long floating barrier by the CCG, among them the European Union with Ambassador Veron saying China’s action “disregards the peace-driven objectives of UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea).”

But aggravating all these dangers are the relentless bullying, aggression and intimidation that our fishermen are subjected to by China Coast Guard and maritime militia vessels. A video that has since gone viral showed a small Filipino fishing boat nearly colliding with a bigger China Coast Guard ship that cut its path while trying to enter Bajo de Masinloc, an area that is within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.

According to a report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in collaboration with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and Rare Philippines, fisheries is a major productive sector in the Philippines that has over two million active fisherfolk, with more than 80 percent of them categorized as “artisanal.” Artisanal fishing refers to small-scale fishers, fish farmers and fish workers, or those who engage in traditional fisheries and have relatively small capital. More often than not, their “contribution to the food security and nutrition of the country is immense but often go unnoticed and under-appreciated. They are also among the poorest and most socially vulnerable sections of the Philippine population,” the FAO’s Report on the Status of Artisanal Fisheries in the Philippines stated.

The Philippines is at the heart of the “coral triangle” which is considered as “the center of marine biodiversity in the world.” Our country has been blessed with vast aquatic resources and is home to more than 2,000 species of fish, many of them located in the West Philippine Sea.

Thousands of fisherfolk, especially those from Ilocos, Central Luzon as well as Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan, depend on the West Philippine Sea for their livelihood. Yet they are also the most vulnerable because of the continuing harassment by the Chinese Coast Guard and maritime militia who prevent them from entering areas that have been declared by international law as traditional fishing ground.

Many welcome the proposal of Congressman Joey Salceda to provide fishermen with radios and communication equipment so they can immediately ask for help from the Philippine Coast Guard if they are subjected to harassment or prevented from entering traditional fishing ground by China Coast Guard ships.

Clearly, fishermen should be given government support in protecting themselves from the perils they face at sea – after all, they provide food on the table not only for their families but the whole nation as well.

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