SUBIC, ZAMBALES—Exactly 10 years after the country won a landmark legal victory in the West Philippine Sea, Ryan Jacinto still measures its meaning the same way he measures every fishing trip—not by court rulings or diplomatic protests, but by whether he can fish at Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, also called Bajo de Masinloc, earn enough to support his family and return home safely.
For the 43-year-old fisherman from Barangay Calapandayan, the 2016 arbitral ruling has changed little.
“Nothing has changed. It’s even gotten worse,” he tells the Inquirer.
READ: PH arbitral win’s legacy: World’s eyes on China
His experience reflects the frustration shared by many Filipino fishermen who continue to face harassment from Chinese vessels near the shoal.
China effectively took control of Bajo de Masinloc in 2012 after a months-long standoff with the Philippines. Since then, Filipino fishermen repeatedly report being driven away, blocked from entering the lagoon and forced to fish farther from what had long been one of their richest fishing grounds.
On July 12, 2016, an arbitral tribunal constituted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea rules in favor of the Philippines, declaring China’s “nine-dash line” invalid under international law. It also recognizes the shoal as a traditional fishing ground where Filipino, Chinese and Vietnamese fishermen have long exercised customary fishing rights and finds that China unlawfully prevents Filipino fishermen from accessing it.
A decade later, China continues to reject the ruling, while conditions at sea remain largely unchanged.
The Peoples Development Institute, which works with the fisherfolk group Bigkis ng Mangingisda Federation in Zambales, Pangasinan, Bataan and Palawan, says fishermen have yet to experience meaningful improvements in their livelihoods. Harassment by the China Coast Guard and Chinese maritime militia, declining fish stocks and rising operating costs continue to make fishing more difficult.
Over the past decade, successive Philippine administrations have taken different approaches to the ruling. Former President Rodrigo Duterte largely set it aside while pursuing closer ties with Beijing, while President Marcos places it at the center of Philippine diplomacy, expanding maritime patrols and strengthening security partnerships with allies.
Different approaches
But for fishermen, little changes.
“There hasn’t been a single fishing trip when the China Coast Guard doesn’t drive us away. No matter which route I take, they block our way. They’ve even come so close that it seems they are about to ram our boat,” Jacinto laments after returning from a grueling 24-hour trip.
READ: WPS: 14 countries reaffirm ruling vs Beijing’s South China Sea claims
He estimates seeing around 50 China Coast Guard vessels, aside from Chinese naval ships, southwest of the shoal. Unable to enter Scarborough Shoal, they stay five to six nautical miles (9 to 11 kilometers) away.
“We just have to be brave,” he asserts.
That courage, however, often proves no match for rough seas.
Empty-handed
Pointing to fishing boats lined up along the shore, Jacinto blurts, “Look at those boats. We’re all back. Everyone returned empty-handed. We all lost money because of the bad weather.”
A single fishing trip costs at least P200,000 for diesel, food, ice and other supplies. When rough seas force them to return early, they fail to catch enough fish to recover their expenses.
For generations, fishermen seek shelter inside the shoal’s calm lagoon whenever storms strike. Today, they say that refuge is no longer accessible—a reality felt even more sharply as Typhoon “Inday” (international name: Bavi) forces many to return home empty-handed days before the ruling’s anniversary.
Christopher de Vera, 58, of Infanta, Pangasinan, shares the same experience.
“Every fishing trip there now is a risk to our lives,” De Vera shares.
READ: Marcos on 2016 arbitral award: S. China Sea shouldn’t be conflict arena
He adds: “Back then, we could take shelter at the shoal whenever the weather suddenly turned bad. Once the seas calmed, we could go back to fishing. But ever since China came, we can no longer do that.”
De Vera and seven fellow fishermen spend nearly 15 hours traveling to the shoal. Before catching a single fish, they spend around P90,000 on diesel, food, ice and other supplies. They return with only about 300 kilograms of fish—far below what they need to recover their expenses.
“Even if we won, it doesn’t feel like it. It’s even worse now,” De Vera says.
Still, neither he nor Jacinto plans to stop fishing.
“I hope we continue to stand up for and defend our rights in the West Philippine Sea,” De Vera remarks.
For Jacinto, De Vera and many others, the arbitral victory will only feel complete when they can once again fish at the shoal without fear and seek shelter there whenever the sea turns against them. /dl
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