Pinoy fishers to Duterte: Unfair trade with Chinese is bullying, not barter

Filipino fishermen hit out at President Rodrigo Duterte's statement saying Chinese coast guard men engage in barter when they take catch from fishermen in Scarborough Shoal.

For Leonardo Cuaresma, chairman of the Federated Fishermen Association of Masinloc in Zambales, the Chinese were engaged in bullying because of the unfair nature of the trade.

"Paanong magiging barter kung hindi naman tinutumbasan ang halaga ng kinukuha nilang isda?" Cuaresma said in a report by Joseph Morong on 24 Oras on Tuesday.

Duterte made his contention on Monday in a speech during the 120th anniversary celebration of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Pasay City

"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.

"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.

Video earlier 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 Philippines will press the Chinese for fairness during the transactions,  Roque said on Monday.

"Well, ang sinabi lang naman ng Presidente, sabihin na nating barter, kinakailangan pa rin pagkasunduan ang halaga ng partido at hindi pa rin katanggap-tanggap na Tsino lang ang nagsasabi kung magkanong halaga ang ibibigay nila sa isdang kinukuha nila," Roque said.

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