Duterte on Chinese taking Pinoy fishers' catch: 'It's barter'

President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday what transpired recently between Filipino fishermen and members of China's Coast Guard at the Scarborough Shoal was mere barter trade, even as other quarters saw the incident as harassment.

China has control over the shoal, according to fishermen from Zambales who lost their prized catch to members of the Chinese Coast Guard in May, even amid warming ties between Manila and Beijing under Duterte.

"It was barter. In exchange for yung isda. Eh ang problema ang valuation. You do not have a way. In a barter it's wishful thinking [to know the exact value]. Hindi tayo nagkakaintindihan dito. It was not an outright seizure," Duterte said in a speech during the 120th anniversary celebration of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Pasay City.

"We do not arrive at judgments just because there is [a] need to issue a statement. Tahimik lang ako. It's [a] better policy," he added.

Duterte's statement seemed in sync with Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua who said last week that what happened was "some sort of barter trade" with Filipinos receiving noodles, cigarettes, and water from the Chinese coastguards who have been taking their catch.

Video obtained by GMA News and Public Affairs showed how Chinese coast guard men have been taking the catch of Filipino fisherman from Zambales in the waters of Scarborough Shoal. During a Reporter's Notebook documentary shoot, cameras stowed on one of the fishing boats also filmed the Chinese asking for fish and then sailing away when fishermen explained they have not caught any.

Fishermen from Pangasinan recounted their own experience of unfair barter trade with the Chinese, recalling instances when the foreigners gave them two packs of noodles, some cigarettes and alcoholic drinks in exchange for the best fish. Fishermen from Bataan, meanwhile, said they had little choice in the barter, saying they'd rather give up their catch instead of getting hit with water cannons.

The President also apparently contradicted his spokesperson, Harry Roque, who described the incident as "fish thievery."

Keeping peace?

Beijing has maintained that its coast guard vessels were at the shoal to keep the peace and the Chinese Coast Guard “had many times provided humanitarian assistance to Philippine fishermen.” China also said it was allowing the Filipinos to fish in the shoal "out of goodwill."

Still, Jianhua assured that "bad apples" in the Chinese Coast Guard will be punished if found guilty of misconduct.

"If there is any misconduct conducted by the Chinese coast guards, those individuals will be punished and the rules will be there,” the Chinese envoy told reporters in Cavite on June 12.

China seized the shoal in 2012 and forced fishermen from the Philippines to travel further for smaller catches, reflecting tensions in the South China Sea where several countries have overlapping claims.

The United Nations-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration delivered in July 2016 a sweeping victory to the Philippines on the case it filed against China during the term of then-President Benigno Aquino III, declaring as illegal China's claim over nearly the entire South China Sea.

Duterte, however, has decided to set aside the ruling, and his rapprochement with China since taking office in June 2016 has been seen as a reason for Beijing to allow Philippine fishermen back into the waters around the shoal, which is within Manila's 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone. —JST, GMA News