MANILA, Philippines – Amid President Rodrigo Duterte’s plan
to declare the lagoon of Scarborough Shoal off-limits to Filipinos, local
fishermen claimed seeing more than a dozen Chinese fishing boats collecting
giant clams inside the shoal.
The poaching came a day after National Security Adviser
(NSA) Hermogenes Jr. and Communications Secretary Martin Andanar claimed that
China’s President Xi Jinping was reportedly open to the idea.
According to one fisherman, the Chinese — in boats estimated
to be around 13-17 in total — were poaching the endangered clams inside the
lagoon using dynamite to flush them out.
“Binabalot nila sa cellophane, tapos sindihan nila, itapon
[They would wrap it in cellophane, then ignite it before throwing it
overboard],” one fisherman told ABS-CBN.
For his part, Dr. Jay Batongbacal, director of the UP
Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, questioned Duterte’s
decision; saying he was effectively doing what the Chinese wanted with his
unilateral ban.
“Eh ‘di parang pinagsusundan lang natin kung ano ‘yung gusto
ng China,” he said. “Scarborough Shoal, walang duda atin ‘yan, mukhang
nakalimutan na natin na talagang atin ‘yan. Mukhang ngayon may duda pa tayo.”
[It’s like we are just following what China wants. There is
no doubt that Scarborough Shoal is ours, it looks like we have forgotten about
that. Now we are still having lingering doubts.]
Batongbacal added that while it is not wrong for Duterte to
loosen the country’s claim on the shoal in exchange for economic concessions
with Beijing, he must do so only with the approval of the Filipino people.
