BFAR: No reports China interrupting WPS fishing amid ban

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) on Monday said it has not received any report that China has stopped Filipino fishermen from fishing in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) amid its unilateral fishing ban over the South China Sea.

In a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon interview, BFAR spokesperson Nazario Briguera said the bureau does not recognize China’s ban in the area.

“Sa ngayon, wala naman tayong natatanggap na ulat na pinipigilan na ang ating mangingisda kaugnay nitong nilabas ng China na unilateral declaration patungkol sa fishing ban,”  Briguera said.

(As of now, we are not receiving any reports that our fishermen are being prevented in relation to the unilateral declaration issued by China regarding the fishing ban.)

“Malinaw po ang posisyon natin dyan katulad po ng posisyong ng Department of Foreign Affairs noong nilabas nila yung protesta, hindi po natin ito kinikilala. At walang dahilan para po huminto sa pangingisda ang ating mga mangingisda dyan sa WPS,” he added.

(Our position is clear, it is similar to the position of the Department of Foreign Affairs when they issued the protest, that we do not recognize it. And there is no reason for our fishermen to stop fishing in WPS.)

According to Briguera, there are around 300,000 fishermen in the West Philippines Sea which provide around 11% of the country’s marine capture fisheries.

The Philippines earlier protested China's fishing ban as it violated international law and undermined the country's sovereignty and maritime rights.

Manila said it does not recognize Beijing’s May 1 to September 16 fishing moratorium as it included Manila's maritime zones over which the Philippines had sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and BFAR announced they will boost their presence in the Bajo de Masinloc to ensure that Filipino fishermen can still fish in the area despite China’ fishing ban.

Since February this year, the PCG and BFAR have been rotating the deployment of vessels at Bajo de Masinloc, which is also known as Scarborough Shoal or Panatag Shoal.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion in annual ship commerce. Its territorial claims overlap with those of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei.

Manila calls parts of the waters within its exclusive economic zone as the West Philippine Sea.

In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal in the Hague ruled that China's claims over the South China Sea had no legal basis, a decision Beijing does not recognize.—RF, GMA Integrated News