Fishermen who joined the second Atin Ito-led civilian mission to Scarborough Shoal on May 16, 2024. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File

PAG-ASA ISLAND — Fishermen on Pag-asa Island (Tithu Island) in the Spratlys on Wednesday said they would not be hindered by China from fishing in the West Philippine Sea despite threats of arrest for what Beijing would consider "trespassing".

Larry Hugo, head of the fisherfolk on Pag-asa, said fishing is their main source of living and no order from China would deter them from it.

“Hindi kami patitinag na mga mangingisda, tuloy ang pangingisda natin. Nandito tayo sa sarili nating teritoryo. Tuloy ang pangingisda natin. Wala akong advice sa mga kasamahan ko dito na tumigil sa pangingisda,” said Hugo.

(We won’t be deterred and we will continue fishing in our own territory. I did not advise other fishermen to stop fishing.) 

READ: Unnamed China Foreign Ministry spokesperson criticize Marcos’ West Philippine Sea statements

What has made fishing harder, Hugo said, was also the presence of Vietnamese fishers in the area.  

“Mahirap mangisda ngayon… Hindi lang mga Chinese, pati mga Vietnamese dito isa sa nagpapahirap sa pangisdaan namin, maliliit na mangingisda dito,” Hugo said.

(It is hard to fish nowadays. It is not only the Chinese but also the Vietnamese fishermen which made our ordeal harder.)

“Ume-extra na lang ang mga kasamahan ko sa construction… mahirap mangisda kasi kapag cyanide, milya milya yung damage niyan. Pag nagkamatay na ang mga bahura, ang mga isda, babalik na doon sa malalim, mahirap na mangisda diyan sa tabi,” he said.

(Some are doing extra construction work. It is hard to fish when they use cyanide. When the shoal dies, the fish goes back in the deep so they won’t resurface.)

READ: Number of Chinese Navy ships in West Philippine Sea doubles: PH Navy

Fisherman Archie Graciano is already feeling the impact of the presence of Chinese and Vietnamese fishing vessels, as he had no catch for the day.

He said he is worried about the new Chinese policy but he needs to be strong for his family.

“Bilang mangingisda, natatakot din kami pumunta doon dahil maliliit lang naman kami. Malalaki ang mga barko nila diyan, may mga kasamahan kami na kapag tina-try nila pumunta doon, talagang tinataboy sila,” said Graciano.

(We are afraid to approach the area because we are just small compared to their big boats. When we try to go there, we are shooed away.)

“Mahirap sa mahirap kasi kaming mga mangingisda dito umaasa sa dagat. Kailangan namin sa pamilya, pang-ulam,” he added.

(It is very difficult because we rely on the sea. My family depends on it for food.)

Hugo said the Philippine Coast Guard had advised them to avoid waters claimed by China for now.

This was also the advice of the municipality of Pag-asa.

Marilou Vales, Pag-asa Island’s coordinator, said there are other areas in the sea where fishermen could fish.

“Hindi puwede yung mangingisda natin doon lumagpas sa boundaries. Ina-advise na huwag sila pumunta sa boundary. Iwasan,” said Vales. “Mayroon namang ibang place na mangisda.”

(Our fishermen should not cross the boundaries for now or they should avoid it… there are other places to fish.)

She said the municipality had coordinated with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority to teach residents of the island about cooking sticky rice and sewing, but acknowledged that fishing is the main source of livelihood.

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