Roque asks reporter to call him after reporting Chinese vessels were preventing Pinoys from fishing

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Wednesday asked a reporter to call him to discuss the latter's report on fisherfolk said to be prevented by Chinese ships from catching fish in Scarborough Shoal.

Roque also dared journalist Virma Rivera of BBC to talk to government officials denying her report.

The presidential spokesperson read out a mobile number on the Palace podium during a briefing broadcast on state-run television and online platform. 

This was after Masinloc Mayor Arsenia Lim, ship owners in Masinloc and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson Commodore Armand Balilo denied that Chinese forces are preventing Filipino fisherfolk’s access to Scarborough Shoal (also called Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc), a traditional fishing area off the coast of Masinloc, Zambales in the West Philippine Sea.

"09*********, give us a call. I will link you up with them para naman malinawan kung ano iyang report mo. Again, Virma, please call habang nandito pa iyong ating mga panauhin nang maisatuwid natin kung ano talaga ang mga pangyayari diyan," Roque said.

(I will link you up to the officials so your report can be clarified and we can correct what really happened.)

“09*********, dahil tayo naman po ay naninindigan lamang sa katotohanan at pawang katotohanan lamang. Please call and we will link you up with the Mayor of Masinloc and with the Philippine Coast Guard. Virma, let us get to the truth as far as this matter is concerned,” Roque added.

(We are standing up for the truth and nothing but the truth here.)

Lim said such reports are mere gossip. 

“Wala pong katotohanan ‘yan. Naka-monitor po ang LGU sa lahat ng mangingisda, pati mga may-ari ng lantsa. Nakakapaghanapbuhay po sila ng maayos,” Lim said. 

(There is no truth to that. The local government unit is monitoring all fishermen, even the owners of vessels. They are able to fish without any incident.)

Balilo, for his part, said the PCG has yet to receive such reports of Chinese forces preventing Filipino fisherfolk from pursuing their livelihood. 

“We have four ships on rotation patrolling the area, and we have Bayanihan sa Karagatan to help our fishermen in the area. Wala pong report sa amin na hindi puwedeng mangisda sa area,” Balilio said. 

(We have not received any report about our fisherfolk being prevented from fishing.) 

“As we speak, there is a fishing boat inside Bajo de Masinloc, and now is also the season when they are fishing na medyo malayo sa Bajo de Masinloc,” he added.

(Now is really the season where they prefer to fish in areas which are quite far from Bajo de Masinloc.) —KG/BM, GMA News