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Zambales fisherfolk welcome news they can now fish in Panatag Shoal


Fishermen in Subic, Zambales welcomed the news that China has allowed them to enter Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc) in the West Philippine Sea to fish, a report on Unang Balita on Friday said.

This is after four years of being chased away by the Chinese Coast Guard.

The fishermen said this will be a big boost to their livelihood.

It is in the shoal that they are able to catch big fishes such as lapu-lapu, maya-maya, and talakitok.

In April 2012, the Philippine Coast Guard and the Chinese Navy had a standoff in Panatag Shoal after Philippine forces spotted Chinese fishermen gathering marine species in the area.

Before he was sworn in, President Rodrigo Duterte asked China to allow Filipino fishermen to resume fishing in Panatag Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.

Panatag Shoal is a triangle of small islands in the West Philippine Sea, surrounding a 150-square-kilometer lagoon within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone, as spelled out by the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

China, however, is claiming ownership of the shoal, saying it first discovered the area in the 13th century during the Yuan Dynasty.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration came out with a decision in July invalidating China's massive claims in the South China Sea, parts of which the Philippines refers to as West Philippine Sea. —KG, GMA News

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