Chinese remove Pinoy fishers' payao in WPS

Chinese vessels removed the payao installed by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) for Filipino fishermen at Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, while Vietnamese allegedly stole the contents of the fishing device in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), a fisherfolk group leader in Zambales said yesterday.

- BELLA CARIASO

In an interview on board the M/V DA BFAR vessel, Subic Commercial Association Inc. chair Fausto Alpay said the incident happened in 2023.

"It was in 2023, the BFAR awarded a payao. My fellow members of the association requested that the payao be placed at Scarborough Shoal, but before we harvested, it was already cut," Alpay said.

Alpay added that the incident took place right after BFAR removed the Chinese floating barrier at Panatag Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc.

"Our fellow fishermen helped BFAR remove the Chinese floating barrier and it triggered the removal of the payao," Alpay added. "Our fish catch could reach five tons and above if we have the payao." "There were times that our catch only reached half a ton, one ton but we had no choice but to stay longer to cover the expenses. We go as far as 15 to 20 miles away from Scarbor ough just to catch more fish," Alpay explained.

Meanwhile, Alpay said that Vietnamese fishermen were also involved in stealing the contents of the payao of Filipino fishers.

"At least 50 Vietnamese vessels surround the Scarborough Shoal and use super lights," Alpay noted.

"Vietnamese use high-tech gear to determine if the payao is full. If they see our payao, they steal the contents," he said, adding that they already informed authorities about the incident.

Meanwhile, BFAR spokesman Nazario Briguera on Wednesday contradicted the claim of China that the payao is destructive after BFAR recently distributed the fishing device to fisherfolk.

"China was saying payao are destructive; the payao are not destructive. What is destructive is the unabated reclamation which destroy coral reefs," Briguera said.