Fish catch down since Balikatan group

Fish catch around Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal has decreased since the start of the Balikatan exercises, which may have prompted the Chinese to send more vessels to the area and continue harassing Filipino fishermen, a local fishers' group said yesterday.

- BELLA CARIASO, Michael Punongbayan, Ghio Ong

"The bullying of the Chinese Coast Guard continues and their number increased right after the Balikatan," New Masinloc Fishermen's Association president Leonardo Cuaresma said in a radio interview.

The 39th Balikatan joint military exercises kicked off on April 22, and will last until May 8. Beijing has denounced the military drills, which include a joint sail by the naval forces of the Philippines, the US and France on the fringes of the West Philippine Sea.

"Before the tension, we have a good fish catch but when the Balikatan started, our fish catch decreased amid the presence of many Chinese vessels," Cuaresma said.

He said fish catch in the past few days only totaled some 1.5 tons compared to some four tons last month.

"Based on my information, more than 30 Chinese militia, six Chinese Coast Guard and four Chinese Navy are still in the area," Cuaresma said.

He confirmed that it was the CCG which removed the payao installed in the area by local fisherfolk and commercial fishing vessels.

"They (Chinese) were behind the removal of the payao in the West Philippine Sea," he said.

He noted that fishers in his group spend at least P200,000 for fuel during a usual fishing activity in the West Philippine Sea.