Laughter filled the venue of the meeting, a classroom of San Salvador High School in this island-village of Masinloc, Zambales, as he recounted being chased away by Chinese vessels when he attempted to enter the area.

De Vera is a member of the Bigkis Fisherfolk Federation, which met with the head of the Peoples Development Institute (PDI), a nongovernment organization, on July 9 to discuss the House of Representatives’ inquiry into China’s human rights violations against Filipino fishers in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

In a letter sent to the House committee on human rights, PDI said Filipino fishers asserting their rights to Panatag’s resources are forced to endure severe harassment and intimidation by China, causing psychological trauma.

“China’s incursions into the WPS have environmental, economic, and social impact [negatively affecting] the Filipino fisherfolk whose right to food and right to personal security are being violated as they lose their main source of livelihood,” the letter read in part.  

500 families

Rony Drio, 57, has been fishing in the West Philippine Sea since he was a teenager, and fishing is his means of supporting his eight children. Over 500 families on the island rely primarily on fishing to survive. 

San Salvador is part of the 7,558-hectare Masinloc-Oyon Bay Protected Landscape and Seascape (MOPLS) under the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (E-Nipas) Act of 2018. The law defines protected areas as specific portions of land and/or water reserved for their unique physical and biological diversity, and safeguarded against destructive human activities.

The MOBPLS is divided into multiple-use zones (where fishing is allowed) and strict protection zones.

Drio is engaged in spearfishing, while others use nets and hooks in compliance with the E-Nipas Act and the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998. 

When typhoons and heavy rains prevent him from going out to sea, Drio tills a rice farm on the island in a sharing arrangement: Of the 10 sacks of palay harvested, the landowner gets three. “I only get a small income from it,” he said in Filipino.

How it was before

From February to June in the past, San Salvador fishers typically sailed to the municipal waters of Masinloc and headed to Panatag (or Bajo de Masinloc) to increase their catch. The shoal is approximately 120 nautical miles west of Masinloc, and its lagoon is known for abundant marine resources.

According to Bigkis president Randy Megu, 51, bright corals, visible during low tide, used to greet them when they entered the shoal. Further inside are white sandbars where they anchored their damaged boats for repair, he said.

The fishers recalled leaving home at midnight to be able to reach the shoal by morning, with daylight allowing them to easily locate its entrance. “We used to fish all day in Bajo de Masinloc,” Drio said.

But more than food, the shoal offered shelter to fishers during storms because of the serene waters in the lagoon. (In Filipino, Panatag means “calm.”)

All that changed in 2012 when, after a standoff between Philippine and Chinese vessels, China seized control of Panatag. It deployed its coast guard and maritime militia, which bullied and chased Filipino fishers away from the area.

Megu recalled the Chinese forces seizing their catch and sometimes their belongings in exchange for a pack of cigarettes and two bottles of liquor. 

The Filipinos are now unable to enter Panatag even during stormy weather.

Giant clams

And the Chinese forces’ increased harvesting of giant clams has gradually destroyed the marine environment. “The corals appeared to have become sand … and the fish decreased because of habitat loss,” Megu said.

In a 2023 report, the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said 1,889 acres of reef in Scarborough Shoal have been damaged by Chinese fishers’ harvesting of giant clams.

The overall estimate of the CSIS, through its Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, is that China’s giant clam harvesting has damaged over 16,500 acres of reef in the South China Sea.

According to the CSIS report titled “Deep Blue Scars: Environmental Threats to the South China Sea,” Chinese fishers use either brass propellers dragged into reef surfaces or high-pressure water pumps to suck out giant clams, destroying the seabed.

The report analyzed commercial satellite imagery of 181 features of the South China Sea. It showed that China is the top reef destroyer in the South China Sea through dredging and land fill, burying roughly 4,648 acres of reefs to build artificial islands.

“Panatag used to shine because of the corals surrounding it. It still shines today, but because of the lights of Chinese ships in the area,” Megu said.

Slashed income

According to the San Salvador fishers, their income has been cut nearly by half since China seized Panatag. They are now operating at a loss due to low catch and high expenses including diesel (of which they need between 100 and 1,000 liters per trip, depending on the boat size, at a cost of at least P60 per liter), and food (rice, groceries), as well as fishing bait.

The total expenses and the 10% commission for the boat owner are deducted from the revenue generated from the fish sales, Megu said, adding that the remaining amount is divided among the fishers aboard the boat.

In 2016, an arbitral tribunal in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines, invalidating China’s sweeping claim over almost the entire South China Sea under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The tribunal clarified that Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal constitutes fishing ground for nations including the Philippines, and ruled that China had violated the Philippines’ sovereign rights by blocking Filipino fishers from these waters.

China continues to reject the arbitral ruling. In May 2024, China issued the “Provisions on Administrative Law Enforcement Procedures of Coast Guard Agencies” or the “China Coast Guard Order No. 3 of 2024,” a set of regulations outlining how its coast guard will carry out administrative law enforcement operations. 

The new regulation authorizes China’s coast guard to detain for up to 60 days foreigners suspected of violating exit and entry rules in waters it claims.

The Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has said that enforcing these regulations in the West Philippine Sea would be “in direct violation of international law.”

“Every sovereign state has the right to formulate and enact laws … however, a state’s domestic laws may not be applied and enforced in the territory, maritime zones or jurisdiction of other states,” the DFA statement read.

Fear

Still, Filipinos are avoiding fishing near Panatag for fear of what Chinese forces will do. “We have fear. We are afraid to fish there,” Drio said.

Bigkis urged the government to protect Filipinos and continue fighting for the Filipinos’ right to fish in the West Philippine Sea.  

Drio said the group had been calling on the authorities “to watch over us for our safety and peace of mind when we are fishing” in Panatag. But he acknowledged that it was a challenge considering China’s continuing aggression.

While Filipino fishers want the Philippine Coast Guard to be present and to extend help when they need it to ease their fear, “there’s nothing we can do,” Drio said. “From what I see now, it’s difficult because even our uniformed personnel at sea are being blocked.” 

Like Drio, Megu believes that the government should step up its efforts to resolve the conflict between the Philippines and China.

“They should find a way to solve this problem and restore the vigor and freedom of Filipino fishermen in Bajo de Masinloc,” Megu said.

Isa Jane Acabal, a journalism student of the University of the Philippines’ College of Mass Communication in Diliman, is an intern at CoverStory.ph.

Read more: Gov’t urged: Defend, assert territorial integrity in West Philippine Sea

The post Filipino fishers continue to struggle amid China’s intensifying aggression appeared first on CoverStory.

“China will not intimidate us,” said Akbayan Party president Rafaela David. “In the spirit of our forefathers who resisted colonial powers, we assert that we will not succumb to the tyranny of our era. With each act of aggression, we respond with unity, solidarity, courage and hope.”

David is a coconvenor of the Atin Ito (This is Ours) coalition, which led Tuesday’s “WPS Day of Action.”

The protest march mobilized members of groups allied with Atin Ito, including the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM), the New Masinloc Fishermen Association, the Mabayo Agri Aqua Association in Bataan, the Student Council Alliance of the Philippines, the Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Samahan sa Kanayunan, the Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka, Akbayan Youth, and other sectoral groups and social movements. One prominent supporter, “running priest” Fr. Robert Reyes joined the protest.

Waving Philippine flags and displaying placards, the protesters chanted “West Philippine Sea—Atin Ito!” and “China Layas!” during the noisy but festive rally outside the consulate on Tuesday.

Leonardo Cuaresma, leader of the Masinloc fishers’ group who led a contingent from Zambales, was thankful for the support for the Filipino fishermen.

“We are here to manifest that this struggle is waged not only by the fisherfolk but by the Filipino people,” Cuaresma said.

Fishers’ ordeal

The protesters accused China of harassing Filipino fisherfolk and trying to drive them away from their traditional fishing grounds in the WPS and blockading supplies to troops on the grounded BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.

In one incident in May, members of the China Coast Guard (CCG) seized food and other supplies that were airdropped to the Sierra Madre and then threw them into the sea. They also rammed a small coast guard boat that was evacuating a sick member of the Philippine Navy sailor from the Sierra Madre.

In increasing frequency, CCG vessels also blast Filipino supply boats with powerful water cannons and have injured their crew and damaged the vessels.

“We remind China that our history bears witness to a resilient Filipino spirit, forged through countless struggles against foreign aggressors and the shadow of superpowers,” David said.

She said generations of freedom fighters “stood firm against colonial dominion and invasive forces.”

“We will not allow them (the Chinese) to continue occupying the West Philippine Sea,” she said.

China is laying claim to nearly the entire South China Sea, including the WPS, waters within the Philippines’ 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone (EEZ). An arbitral tribunal ruled in 2016 that China’s expansive historical claim had no legal basis. Beijing continues to ignore and reject the arbitral award which upheld the Philippines’ sovereign rights to its EEZ.

“Should China harbor the misconception that it could break us through its escalation of violence and harassment in our region, it grievously underestimates our resolve,” David said. “China stands as but the latest entrant in a lineage of foreign aggressors against which Filipinos have fearlessly contended throughout the annals of time.”

Global solidarity

In a statement, PRRM President Edicio Dela Torre, another cocovenor of Atin Ito, called for global solidarity with the Philippines against China’s actions in the country’s EEZ.

“China’s narrative is deceptive,” he said. “While accusing the Philippines of violating international law, it openly aggresses our vessels and loots our supplies. The truth is evident: China is the aggressor.”

A week before Independence Day, the Bigkis ng Mangingisda Federation, displayed the Philippine flag in waters near Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, also called Bajo de Masinloc (or BDM) to “show resistance to China’s incursions and to defend Philippine sovereign rights over its exclusive economic zone,” the group said.

On June 1, more than 20 fishing boats had sailed from Zambales led by Bigkis president Randy Megu to the West Philippine Sea, specifically Panatag.

One boat displayed a banner that said “Ang West Philippine Sea ay pag-aari ng sambayanang Pilipino” (West Philippine Sea belongs to the Filipino people) and another saying, “Ipagtanggol ang karapatan ng mga mangingisda sa West Philippine Sea” (Defend the rights of fishermen in the West Philippine Sea).

About 30 nautical miles (55 kilometers) from Panatag, one of the fishermen displayed a Philippine flag to show to foreign vessels, especially Chinese, sailing by.

“The Chinese have no right to the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone,” Megu said in a statement.

Before heading back home to Zambales on June 3, they again waved the Philippine flag, he said.

Read more: ‘Atin Ito’ sets new mission to Scarborough Shoal to assert Filipinos’ fishing rights

The post Atin Ito marchers denounce China’s ‘acts of aggression’ appeared first on CoverStory.

That was how some people felt at the end of last week’s small flotilla of the “Atin Ito” coalition that had for its mission to supply food and fuel to fishermen at Bajo de Masinloc and to assert Philippine sovereign rights over its exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

The excitement among the 160-odd Atin Ito volunteers, journalists, foreign observers and boat crews was palpable. There were interminable selfies and groufies all around even as the first boat started to sail out of a private port in the town of Masinloc in Zambales.

Others who stayed behind for one reason or another formed a cheery send-off crowd, hugging their friends, comrades and colleagues to bid bon voyage.

Members of one enthusiastic group of supporters from Bunyog Pagkakaisa partylist waved small Philippine flags and displayed a banner with the message “Atin ang Pinas, China layas!” (The Philippines is ours, China scram!) as they chanted, “West Philippine Sea, Atin ito!” (West Philippine Sea is ours!)

Five fishing boats initially comprised the main convoy, four of them looking like giant bancas that had large outriggers. Powered by jeepney diesel engines, these boats called “pangulong” are normally used for net fishing in the high seas.

About 100 small bancas with one or two men on board served as the escorts of the main convoy for the first leg of the planned voyage to Bajo de Masinloc, about 230 kilometers west of Masinloc, which began around 7:30 a.m. on May 15.

Objectives achieved

At noon of Day One and some 14 nautical miles (26 km) from Zambales, the Atin Ito coalition declared that it had already achieved its three main objectives, including the launch of the “peace and solidarity” convoy into the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. 

The coalition also deployed symbolic buoys to mark the country’s sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea, and completed the first round of distribution of supplies to the municipal fishermen who escorted the five boats beyond the edge of Zambales’ 12-nm (22-km) territorial waters.

The fifth boat, FB Limbos, returned to Zambales with the small fishermen, leaving the four others—the lead boat Bing Bing, and Paty, John and Aguian—to continue the voyage.

At around 6 p.m., the convoy sighted a China Coast Guard (CCG) ship for the first time since it left Masinloc. CCG 4108 was sailing in the opposite direction on the right side of the boats. 

Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) patrol boat BRP Bagacay, which had been keeping the convoy company since around 10 a.m., positioned itself between the boats and the much bigger CCG ship.

CCG 4108 then made a sharp turn behind the Aguian, the tail of the convoy, and steamed away at a fast clip along the boat’s left side before disappearing in the day’s fading light. 

The PCG reported that the CCG vessel continued to shadow the convoy from about 1.6 km away.

Secret ‘advance party’

Early Thursday morning, May 16, the organizers of the all-civilian mission triumphantly announced “mission accomplished.” They said the boats would be heading back to the port of Subic after a 10-member team formed in secret was able to reach 20 nm (37 km) off Bajo de Masinloc.

It turned out that the “advance party” left Subic incognito a day ahead of the main convoy and distributed food supplies and fuel to the fishermen early dawn of Thursday.

The change in plans was part of a “contingency” the Atin Ito leadership had decided, according to Robert Francis Garcia, the volunteer team leader on the Aguian.

Rafaela David, coconvener of Atin Ito, said a small group had breached China’s “massive and illegal blockade” of Bajo de Masinloc.

The action was a “testament to the ingenuity, resourcefulness and bravery of the Filipino spirit amidst formidable challenges,” David, who happened to celebrate her 36^th birthday on that day, said in a statement.

By then, the convoy was about 50 nm (93 km) from the shoal.

“China may possess larger and more vessels, and wield strong water cannons, but we possess a secret weapon: our ‘diskarteng Pinoy,’ which, when coupled with determination and love for fellow citizens and country, can surmount even the most daunting adversity,” she said.

Mark Figueras, who led the secret operation, later told reporters that they were disguised as fishermen when they took off from Subic at 7 a.m. on May 14. By 11 p.m. the same day, they were within 20 nm (37 km) of the shoal and had latched on to a “payao,” an indigenous artificial reef, where they rested until early the next morning.

At around 4 a.m. on Wednesday, they radioed the fishermen in the vicinity that they would be distributing food and fuel. 

Not long after, several CCG ships surrounded them without warning. A People’s Liberation Army-Navy ship appeared and a helicopter flew overhead, prompting them to pull back about 10 nm (18.5 km) farther away from Bajo de Masinloc.

“Actually, the advance team planned that—not to enter [the shoal]. Our decision really was to distribute aid,” Figueras said. “But in truth, we were prepared [to go in]. If I were able to come closer, I would have planted a tarp. That’s what makes me feel bad.”

As a result of the advance team’s action, the Filipino fishermen were shooed farther away from the shoal by the Chinese, he said.

Understandable decision

The reporter Marcos Shiang, 39, who covers military and foreign affairs for Taiwan’s SET TV, said that despite being unable to get close to Bajo de Masinloc, he was impressed by the way the convoy was planned and organized. He was on the Aguian.

Although the convoy was unable to get close to the shoal, “at least we could see” how the CCG vessels and even a warship blocked the way to the shoal in an aggressive way, he said.

“I thought that we could get closer to Scarborough … so I am a little bit disappointed. But I can understand why they had this kind of decision,” said Shiang, who has covered Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. If the convoy had pushed on, “something out of our control” might happen, he added.

Journalists “definitely wish to watch the big-scale confrontation,” Shiang said, but he did not want to belittle the Atin Ito leadership’s reasons for turning back.

“I also want to emphasize that we Taiwanese are harassed by Chinese fighters and ships every day. We know how it feels, and Taiwan and the Philippines are on the same boat. I hope to enhance the relationship between our two countries and people,” he said.

Oppression and bullying

The Aguian’s volunteer logistics officer, student leader Jenny Jabon, said she was happy that one group was able to make it through the blockade even if she and the others were unable to.

“In our experience during our almost two days on the open sea, we saw the kind of oppression and bullying by China. This is not normal,” Jabon, 21, said. “This is something that has now become a kind of burden for me—how I can tell this story to my community and the youth in our school, and how I can make them experience or immerse them in what I had gone through during these two days of our mission.”

“This is what victory is for me—the hope and courage to be able to tell this story to the community and what we are fighting for,” she added. 

Jabon is a senior public administration student at City College of San Jose del Monte in Bulacan and the president of the Junior Association of Local Colleges and Universities that groups 50 student council presidents nationwide.

She said she felt both angry and scared when the CCG ship came close and fast toward her boat and imagined a scene in her mind of a water-cannon attack. “I tried to calm myself then,” she said. “After our debriefing after the event, that was when I said, Oh my gosh, I’m still alive!”

No regrets

Sangguniang Kabataan Councilor Frank dela Torre, the youngest of the volunteers at 18, said he, too, had no regrets that the convoy did not come close to the shoal. But he admitted that his curiosity about this “speck” on the planet remains.

“We didn’t need to push ourselves to reach Bajo de Masinloc,” said Dela Torre, a freshman at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and a member of the Akbayan Youth. “What was important was we achieved the objective of the mission. For me, it was enough that we were in the waters [of the West Philippine Sea] and we became part of the mission. For me, that was so fulfilling and overwhelming.”

Dela Torre said he felt no fear when he saw the CCG ship heading toward the Aguian, and only thought about reporting what he was seeing and coordinating actions as the boat’s management officer.

He said he felt more empowered when he learned that he was the youngest in the Atin Ito coalition.

“That’s something that also surprised me—that I had an additional bandwidth of strength,” he said.

Is he joining the next voyage?

“For sure!” Dela Torre declared.

Read more: ‘Atin Ito’ sets new mission to Scarborough Shoal to assert Filipinos’ fishing rights

The post Jubilation, relief, and a little disappointment on the West Philippine Sea appeared first on CoverStory.

The seeming premature end of the coalition’s mission, which aimed to assert Philippine sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea, came at 8:25 a.m. Thursday, with Chinese vessels reportedly driving away the fishers as early as Wednesday night. 

But Atin Ito announced having outfoxed China’s forces: An advance team had already breached the Chinese blockade and reached the Filipino fishers to distribute fuel and food supplies.

The 10-member advance team composed of representatives of the Akbayan Party, Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Samahan sa Kanayunan, and Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement reached within 25-30 nautical miles of the general vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc on May 15. 

“They swiftly delivered crucial provisions, including fuel and food, to Filipino fishers working in the area,” Atin Ito said in a statement, adding that some 1,000 liters of diesel and 200 food packs were distributed despite a Chinese Navy ship with body number 175 constantly shadowing them. 

“This feat mirrors the success of last December’s inaugural civilian mission, where Atin Ito’s smaller supply boat, the ML Chowee, navigated past Chinese vessel harassment near Ayungin Shoal to deliver supplies to frontline workers on Lawak Island,” the coalition said.

Rafaela David, Atin Ito coconvener and Akbayan president, said that “despite China’s massive blockade, we managed to breach their illegal blockade, reaching Bajo de Masinloc to support our fishers with essential supplies. Mission accomplished!” 

David said the success of the civilian mission “stands as a testament to the ingenuity, resourcefulness and bravery of the Filipino spirit amidst formidable challenges.” She added: “China may possess larger and more vessels, and wield strong water cannons, but we possess a secret weapon: our ‘diskarteng Pinoy,’ which, when coupled with determination and love for fellow citizens and country, can surmount even the most daunting adversity.” 

Despite the presence of the Philippine Coast Guard’s BRP Bagacay, the Atin Ito boats on Thursday were bent on reaching the shoal 50 nautical miles away from a 6 a.m. stopover to harvest fish from a Filipino-installed payaw or artificial reef.

The boats will distribute their remaining fuel and food supplies to Filipino fishers who were informed of this arrangement before heading to Subic, Zambales, in the afternoon, arriving there on Friday.

Read more: ‘Atin Ito’ sets new mission to Scarborough Shoal to assert Filipinos’ fishing rights

The post ‘Atin Ito’ heads back; ‘Mission accomplished!’ appeared first on CoverStory.

Two Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) ships appeared as four Filipino fishing boats ferrying civilian volunteers of Atin Ito and Filipino and foreign journalists made their way to the shoal late Wednesday. 

Except for one boat developing engine trouble, the marine convoy sailed without incident until around 6:20 p.m., shortly before sunset, when the CCG ships showed up on the horizon.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) confirmed that one of the Chinese vessels with bow number 4109 was “within 1800 yards from the group.” 

“At 6:27 PM, another CCG vessel with bow no. 4108 was sighted with an estimated distance of 800 yards, and CCG 4109 is still shadowing with the estimated distance of 1.1 nautical mile,” the PCG said.

The PCG’s BRP Bagacay, which is escorting the Atin Ito mission, and CCG 4108 exchanged radio challenges as the boats were 50 nautical miles from Bajo de Masinloc. The two Chinese vessels tried to get into position in a manner aimed at dividing the contingent but were unsuccessful due to the evasive maneuvers of the mission boats’ pilots. 

The Bagacay maintained its close distance to the Atin Ito boats, to thwart any other divisive attempt by the Chinese ships. At 10 p.m., the boats carrying food and other provisions including fuel to fishers in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal were well on the way to their destination. The boats sailed out of Masinloc Bay, Zambales, about 220 kilometers from the shoal, early Wednesday morning. 

The expedition is composed of four large fishing vessels carrying a total of 71 crew members and 86 civilians including Atin Ito members and journalists. 

Here is the PCG’s tally of the mission participants: FFV John, 26 crew and 25 passengers; FFV Aguian, 7 crew and 18 passengers; FFV Paty, 9 crew and 14 passengers; and FFV Bingbing, 29 crew and 29 passengers 

Early Wednesday, the PCG reported that it had dispatched two more vessels to escort the expedition and provide security assistance: the BRP Panglao and BRP Boracay. An aircraft also flew ahead of the mission boats to monitor the goings-on at the shoal.

Atin Ito reported on Wednesday that the three main objectives of the mission had been achieved: to conduct a peace and solidarity regatta composed of civilian marine vessels and small fishing boats to the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone; to lay down buoys/markers carrying the message “WPS, Atin Ito!”; and to complete the first round of distributing supplies, including fuel and food packs, to Filipino fishers. 

The Atin Ito mission is now in the second phase of its voyage, aiming to reach the vicinity of Panatag Shoal for another round of supply distribution to Filipino fishers in the area.

Read more: ‘Atin Ito’ sets new mission to Scarborough Shoal to assert Filipinos’ fishing rights

The post Chinese Coast Guard ships dog ‘Atin Ito’ mission appeared first on CoverStory.

Atin Ito coconvener Edicio dela Torre said China’s conduct as a superpower bullying a small country like the Philippines is not the “best message” to deliver to the international community as a “major contender” in a world where the rules should be fair to all.

“We are also communicating to the world that this is not our fight alone,” Dela Torre said. “This is the struggle of the whole community of nations to have a rules-based international order.”

Atin Ito said Wednesday’s voyage is for “peace and solidarity” with Filipino fishermen who have been deprived of one of their rich fishing grounds.

It is meant to assert civilian rights over Scarborough Shoal—also known as Bajo de Masinloc and Panatag Shoal—which has been controlled by China since 2012.

Food and other provisions

According to the organizers, the flotilla of dozens of fishing boats will bring food and other provisions, including fuel, to fishers in the vicinity of the shoal located about 220 kilometers west of Zambales province.

Volunteers on the boats will also release orange buoys painted with the words “Atin Ito” close to Scarborough as a symbolic gesture to reiterate the Philippines’ stake in the shoal.

The coalition is rejecting Beijing’s “propaganda” line that the Philippines’ actions in asserting its rightful access to Scarborough is being done at the bidding of the United States.

Dela Torre said Beijing had been depicting Manila as a “pawn” in its international rivalry with the United States in a battle for “supremacy” in the region and in the world.

“And that’s why it hurts us personally,” he said. “Why are we only classified always as implementors of some American strategy? We have our own minds.”

The coalition expects the Chinese coast guard and their maritime militia to block its path, as they had done many times in trying to stop the delivery of supplies to Filipino troops on the BRP Sierra Madre, the military outpost at Ayungin Shoal, which is also well within the country’s EEZ.

A similar Atin Ito mission to Ayungin last December had to be aborted to prevent a confrontation with a China coast guard ship that had shadowed its supply vessel.

“If China is militarizing our own exclusive economic zone, we are there to civilianize our own seas because at the end of the day, we stand by our own belief that the West Philippine Sea should be accessible to ordinary citizens, especially our fisherfolk communities whose livelihood depends on the sea,” said Atin Ito coconvener Rafaela David.

Shelter from storms

China started to block the entrance to Scarborough’s lagoon, a generations-old fishing ground for Filipinos that also provides them shelter during storms, in June 2012.

This followed a standoff with the Philippine Navy, which tried to apprehend Chinese fishermen who illegally harvested endangered giant clams at the shoal and severely damaged its reefs in the process.

The blockade prompted the Philippines to challenge China’s sweeping claims to nearly all of the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, which is part of the country’s 370-kilometer EEZ.

The international arbitral tribunal decided in favor of the Philippines in 2016. The arbitral award invalidated China’s historical claim to these waters and ruled that although Scarborough is within the Philippines’ EEZ, it should remain open as a common fishing ground not only for the Philippines but also for China and Vietnam.

Beijing refuses to recognize the ruling.

Another view being spread by Beijing is that the Philippines is provoking China into an open armed conflict in their maritime dispute to justify US intervention in support of the Philippines, America’s defense treaty ally.

But war does not result in any good to anyone, said Dela Torre, a former priest.

“We want to say very clearly to China and to the world: We don’t want to escalate violence. We don’t want war. We want peace,” he said, adding that peaceful negotiation should be pursued by both sides.

Dela Torre said some groups say that if Filipinos want peace, then they should just surrender their sovereign rights to the Chinese. “That’s a bit too much. Appeasement, in general, never works with bullies,” he said.

Read more: ‘Atin Ito’ sets new mission to Scarborough Shoal to assert Filipinos’ fishing rights

The post ‘Atin Ito’s’ mission is for Philippine sovereign rights and a rules-based global order appeared first on CoverStory.

Today, it is known to the world as Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc. I was among the journalists who joined the expedition, and to my recollection, I was the first to set foot on it.  

I was 33 years old, a correspondent covering Olongapo and Zambales for The Philippine Star, and a stringer for Kyodo News and CBS News. I may no longer remember the names of some people, 27 years having passed, but I will never forget this remarkable odyssey.  

Under the veil of darkness, we boarded a Philippine Navy patrol vessel that left at midnight from Alava Pier, Subic Bay, en route to Scarborough Shoal. We were a mix of international correspondents and stringers, local reporters, and photojournalists. Then members of the House of Representatives of the 10th Philippine Congress—Jose Yap (2nd district, Tarlac) and Roquito Ablan (1st district, Ilocos Norte) led the 220-kilometer journey that took more than 15 hours.

Earlier, I received a call from Anthony de Leon, a media specialist with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) public affairs office. (Anthony died two years ago. Writing about this made me miss his friendship.) He wanted to know if I’d join the trip—“Sama ka mamaya?”—and said the coverage would be “interesting.” na coverage ito. Congressmen Ablan and Yap will go to Scarborough Shoal with some members of the media.” 

I was a bit put off that the SBMA issued the invitation so close to the scheduled departure, and thought that maybe the province-based reporters would just be “fillers.” Still, the prospect of joining an important and maybe historical coverage excited me. I asked Anthony: What time? 

‘Pack light’

“Twelve midnight” was his quick reply. “Pack light dahil balikan lang tayo. Be in front of the SBMA flagpole 30 minutes early. We will walk to the pier with the others,” he added. 

Anthony made it sound like an easy day tour. But like most of us, he might have been shocked by the circumstances we faced as soon as the vessel left Subic. It was probably the most uncomfortable sea voyage I have ever taken in my life. No bed bunks, only portable chairs to sit on for the duration of the trip. So, when we were traversing some bumpy portions of the sea, I thought it was handy that I packed some sick bags in my survival kit!

An expedition to unfamiliar territory surely requires days of planning and preparation. Back in the day, SBMA usually extended courtesies like food and drinks on press visits and special coverages, especially on remote locations. I did not bother to ask Anthony what I should take with me. And didn’t he say, “pack light” because we were not staying long?  

The thought that we might have been stranded on the shoal due to unpredictable circumstances, like sudden bad weather or any life-threatening situation, occurred to me only after we had returned to Subic. 

During the trip I found that most of us had only the clothes we were wearing, our press IDs, our reporter’s tools (notebook, camera, tape recorder, flip phone), and the spirit of adventure. 

We were saved from hunger and dehydration by the two lawmakers’ Boy Scout spirit. Both Ablan and Yap brought coolers full of water and other refreshments, as well as sandwiches, snacks, and candies to share with the press and the crew. 

As we sailed out of the mouth of Subic Bay, I heard somebody say, “Wow, this is literally a slow boat to China.” One of the journos hollered back, “No! It’s a slow boat to Masinloc Shoal.” Loud cheers from everyone followed. 

When we were not writing on our notebooks or taking pictures of the vastness of the ocean, we amused ourselves somehow. I recall that at one point, a Filipino reporter was singing, spoofing the lyrics of “Scarborough Fair” by Simon and Garfunkel:  “Are you going to Scarborough Shoal/ Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme…” 

I remember there were only two of us women present. I doubt if anybody slept during the bumpy journey. It was ridiculously hard, but I managed power naps every now and then while sitting on my chair.

There were two small cabins assigned to Ablan and Yap but by their haggard look, it seemed that they were unable to sleep, too. Yap, at that time the chair of the influential House committee on defense, was wearing a neck brace—for whatever condition, I cannot recall. He might have removed it before he and Ablan planted the Philippine flag on the highest rock formation in the atoll because it was not visible when we were taking their photos. 

Almost there

The voyage was a test of patience for everyone aboard the Navy vessel, including the captain and crew who remained professional and calm through the journey. We took turns asking if we were anywhere near our destination: “Malapit na ba tayo?”

I briefly joined a Japanese reporter in his space portside. I remember him to be of hefty build, and he was from Yomiuri or Asahi Shimbun (I remember the “Shimbun” on his press card). He was smoking. We both quietly watched the horizon for a while. Then he looked at his watch and said to me, “I think we are close.”  As if on cue, an announcement came from the PA system, “We will reach the destination in an hour,” eliciting cheers from the weary passengers. It was a very warm mid-afternoon, yet the sun brought hope to the news-hungry group that this is going to be a good day of reporting. 

I was returning to my chair to get my water bottle when suddenly, I heard shouts: “Pirates! Are they pirates!” I ran back and saw a motorized boat with two men who appeared to be Chinese, heading speedily in the opposite direction of our vessel. They were about 15 meters away. One was standing behind a machine gun that was positioned close to the bow. He was naked from the waist up and had a towel (or was it his shirt?) tied around his head like a bandana. The other was piloting the boat. My colleagues took photos. It was so quick that it was over within seconds.

Thankfully, no confrontation ensued. As the other boat sped away, we saw the man with the machine gun looking back at us. Later, we learned from the Navy crew that they were Chinese fishermen. 

Wow, Chinese fishermen with machine guns! I thought: What chance do our Filipino fishermen have when faced with such a hostile presence?

On the approach to Scarborough Shoal, the crew started to prepare the lifeboats that would take us there. I boarded the lifeboat after Ablan and positioned myself behind him, intent on seeing every piece of the action. 

As our lifeboat bobbed in the turquoise waters, the reef—or what looked like mainly coral, barely above sea level—came into view. There were a few scattered rocks that appeared above the waterline.

‘I will be the first’ 

The competitor in Congressman Ablan emerged. I heard him intently tell our boat pilot to speed up our pace and to get ahead of “Aping” (Yap). Then he turned to me and said rather emphatically in a mix of Filipino and English: “Jen, I will be the first congressman to set foot on Scarborough Shoal. Now, you can be the first journalist to land on it. Just let me get ahead by a few seconds. Don’t be first, ha!” 

And that’s what happened. I was conscious of his instruction the whole time, so when we reached the tip of the reef’s shallow part where our boat berthed, I watched him take his big step, and then I let my feet follow. My heart was racing. On this contested ground, I stood where no other journalist had stood before.

I looked around me and saw that we had disembarked ahead of the others. Congressman Yap seemed unmindful of whether he was first to set foot on the shoal or not. Perhaps it was his health condition? Ablan looked jubilant. I heard him ask the Navy captain where to plant the Philippine flag. 

(This 1997 expedition was the second time that the Philippines raised its flag on Scarborough Shoal. The first was in 1965, when a lighthouse was also built on it.)

I stood on the shoal and felt the cold caress of azure water on my feet. Oh, my gosh. The shoal unveiled itself as a silent landscape with beautiful secrets. Crystal-clear pools teemed with marine life. I saw colorful fish, mostly angel fish, and sea urchins and seahorses. The Filipino fishermen who came ahead told us to be mindful while stepping on the corals, to look before we step. Their medium-sized motorized bancas were docked nearby. 

‘Ililigtas ka’

As early as the Spanish colonization of the Philippines, Bajo de Masinloc served both as economic sustenance and life-saver to Filipino fishermen who used it as traditional fishing ground and shelter during bad weather. 

While waiting for the flag-planting ceremony, I spoke to some of the Filipino fishermen. They pointed to a spot in the middle of the shoal where, during storms, they would dock their boats and huddle together, waiting for the bad weather to pass. What was amazing in their story was the fact that there was no structure or cover to protect them from the harsh elements. The shoal is in the middle of the open sea but according to them, it is so calm and serene even during a tempest: “Parang walang bagyo kahit may bagyo.”

A fisherman drew sharp contrast between Scarborough Shoal and the urban legend involving the Bermuda Triangle that swallows and makes one disappear. He said Scarborough Shoal will save you—“Ililigtas ka.” (Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc is also known as Panatag Shoal.)

They said they survived even the heaviest storms here; their boats remained intact, allowing them to go home unscathed and safe to their families. 

The Philippine flag-planting ceremony was starting. I rushed to board one of the lifeboats to get to the rock where it was to take place. In a press conference that followed at the same spot, Ablan told us reporters: “They (China) claimed that they own this place. But now that you are here, you’ve seen that the Philippines is more accessible, it is nearer, and it is within the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea’s description of what is our territory.” 

(Fast-forward to July 2016: The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea or International Court of Justice in The Hague found that China’s claims of historic rights within the nine-dash line, which Beijing uses to demarcate its claims in the South China Sea, are “without legal foundation.” The court also concluded that “China’s activities within the Philippines’ two-hundred-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ), such as illegal fishing and environmentally ruinous artificial island construction, infringe on the Philippines’ sovereign rights.”)

We stayed at the shoal for perhaps more than an hour. The Navy crew was in a hurry to return while there was still daylight. I was quietly relieved that we left early.

We boarded a second Navy vessel that was already waiting for us at the shoal when we arrived. We were told that this one was faster. It was bigger and faster indeed, because we were back in Subic by midnight of the next day.

Back on the boat, I gazed at Bajo de Masinloc as it faded into the distance. As a journalist, I felt fortunate that I had a glimpse of it and its stories, up close and personal—not only of the day’s events, but of what may come next. 

What left an indelible memory in me was the weathered faces of the Filipino fishermen and their stories of resilience, dwindling catches, Chinese patrols, and dreams of peaceful seas. 

Will I return to Bajo de Masinloc? I probably would when an opportunity presents itself, this time more hopeful than apprehensive. At 60, I am now a grandmother of fiv. My wish is that the next generation will witness a peaceful resolution to this conflict that has taken so many years of livelihood, dignity, and lives from Filipino fishermen and their families. They may not fully grasp the intricacies of geopolitics, but they are the true custodians of Scarborough Shoal.

Jen Velarmino-van der Heijde covered Olongapo, Subic Bay Naval Base, and Zambales as a correspondent of The Philippine Star in 1988-2010. During her active years as a journalist, she was also a stringer for Kyodo News and CBS News Manila bureaus. Currently, she is a project consultant for an international NGO, and the president of the Subic Bay Freeport Chamber for Health and Environment Conservation.

Read more: Filipino fishers are called upon to sacrifice during PH-US Balikatan

The post Footprints on Scarborough Shoal appeared first on CoverStory.

Leaders of “Atin Ito” (This is Ours), a coalition of social movements, nongovernment organizations, fisher groups, artists, citizens, Church leaders, and entrepreneurs, said they are flexing civilian might in pursuit of an “active citizenship model” to counter China’s incursions in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. 

Rafaela David, one of the conveners and Akbayan Party president, expressed hope that the mission as a show of active citizenship would unite Filipinos in safeguarding the nation’s rights and territorial integrity.

The open-sea action by Atin Ito comes after a similar daring trip to Bajo de Masinloc last December. Organizers said it is being mounted in response to China’s claim that the Philippines has agreed to a “new model” concerning parts of the West Philippine Sea, and addresses the ongoing violence and harassment endured by Filipino fishers and frontliners particularly near Masinloc, Zambales, and Scarborough Shoal.

‘Genuine Filipino model’

“This is one of the genuine Filipino and progressive models we adhere to, unlike the fake narratives of a ‘gentleman’s agreement,’ ‘common understanding,’ and a ‘new model’ propagated by China,” David said in a press conference at the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM) building in Quezon City last Wednesday.

Edicio Dela Torre, another convener and PRRM president, said the mission coincides with the Farmers and Fisherfolk Month in May, which, he added, is the month of Mary, the guide and protector of Filipino Catholic seafarers. 

Organizers said a “peace and solidarity regatta” would be conducted off Masinloc, with symbolic markers and buoys bearing the message “WPS, Atin Ito!” installed in territorial waters. 

“This is not a sightseeing excursion to seek out Chinese marine vessels or a provocation to incite conflict. It is a legitimate exercise of Filipino citizens within our own territory,” David said. She reiterated that the mission upholds peaceful means of asserting sovereignty and rejects aggression or provocation.

“Our approach is grounded in reclaiming what rightfully belongs to us, guided by international law and diplomatic principles,” she said.

Present at the press conference were retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio, retired Rear Admiral Rommel Ong, Kalibo (Aklan) Mayor Juris Sucro, and Fr. Robert Reyes, along with fisher leaders from the Subic Commercial Fishing Association, the New Masinloc Fisherfolk Association, the Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Samahan sa Kanayunan (PSKK), the Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka, and student leaders from Akbayan Youth and the Student Council Alliance of the Philippines.

‘Not a war zone’ 

PKSK chair Ruperto Aleroza said the groups seek to declare Scarborough Shoal as “a fishing zone, not a war zone.” He said the issue is “fishing to provide food not only to our family but the country.”

Atin Ito leaders said they are in coordination with the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea and other concerned government agencies on mission matters.

“The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has been duly informed of our mission and itinerary, and is committed to closely monitor the mission, with the safety and security of all participants as its paramount concern,” the coalition leaders said in a press statement.

“We acknowledge the potential for our mission to face interruptions and/or be cut short due to safety and security concerns posed by Chinese marine vessels. While we will try our best to realize the main objectives of our second civilian mission, your safety and security remain our utmost priority,” they told the participating journalists. 

Last month, Chinese coast guard vessels fired water cannons on two Philippine vessels, the PCG’s BRP Bagacay and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources’ BRP Datu Bankaw, which were bringing food and fuel to Filipino fishers in Bajo de Masinloc.

“This is barbarism at sea,” Akbayan’s David said. “This is ungentlemanly, to say the least, for a country which supposedly had a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ with us. For a trespassing entity in our territory, the sight of two Chinese coast guard vessels simultaneously firing water cannons at a solitary Philippine vessel is shameless beyond measure.” 

China’s water cannon strategy is “not working,” according to David. China’s water cannon attacks in the West Philippine Sea “is a broken philosophy,” she said. “They are not getting the desired results. On the contrary, they only nourish Filipino resolve in the West Philippine Sea.”

Read more: Marcos urged to push proposed Maritime Zones Act in the face of China’s ‘10-dash’ line map

The post ‘Atin Ito’ sets new mission to Scarborough Shoal to assert Filipinos’ fishing rights appeared first on CoverStory.