SAN ANTONIO, Zambales — On July 7, three days after returning from a fishing trip near Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), fisherman Christopher de Vera had little good news to share.
Exactly 10 years after an international tribunal upheld the Philippines’ sovereign rights in the WPS, life at sea remains largely unchanged for Filipino fishermen.
In a video taken by De Vera during the fishing trip, a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel with bow number 21544 can be seen closely shadowing their fishing boat as they operated about 40 nautical miles from the shoal.
For many fishermen like him, the 10th anniversary of the landmark arbitral ruling is not a story of victory realized but of rights won on paper that remain difficult to exercise on the water.
They are still being tailed, still being driven away, and still forced to fish under the watch of the CCG. The ruling has not brought back the fish they say have grown scarcer or erased the anxiety that accompanies every voyage toward the shoal.
“The fisherfolk have yet to see any substantial improvement in their livelihood 10 years since the arbitral tribunal ruled to uphold Philippine sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea,” Peoples Development Institute (PDI) President Aurea Miclat-Teves said in a statement marking the ruling’s 10th anniversary.
READ: PH arbitral win’s legacy: World’s eyes on China
For nearly a decade, the PDI has worked with the Bigkis ng Mangingisda Federation, whose members come from fishing communities in Zambales, Pangasinan, Bataan, and Palawan.
They have documented the experiences of fishers like De Vera, who continue to face harassment from the CCG and Chinese maritime militia while fishing in waters within the country’s exclusive economic zone.
For many fishing families, the dispute is no longer just about competing territorial claims. It is about whether there will be enough fish to sell, enough income to buy food, and whether fishermen will return home safely after weeks at sea.
According to PDI, the consequences extend far beyond the contested waters.
The group said unrestricted exploitation of marine resources by Chinese fishing vessels, allegedly operating under the protection of the China Coast Guard and maritime militia, has contributed to the destruction of coral reefs that serve as breeding grounds for fish.
READ: From lasers to water cannons: China’s aggression in West Philippine Sea
The loss of these habitats threatens fisheries that coastal communities have depended on for generations.
As fish become harder to find, fishermen say they must stay at sea longer just to bring home the same amount of catch they once landed in fewer days.
Longer trips mean spending more on diesel, food, ice, and other supplies, reducing whatever income they earn after selling their catch.
Beyond the economic burden, PDI said many fishermen have endured repeated intimidation at sea.
Some have reported being driven away from traditional fishing grounds, while others have encountered water cannon attacks and aggressive maneuvers by the China Coast Guard.
The repeated confrontations, the group said, have left some fishermen traumatized, with a few choosing to stop venturing into open waters altogether.
While PDI acknowledged the continuing efforts of the Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to assist fishermen in the West Philippine Sea, it said the government needs to provide more resources to protect fishing communities and defend the country’s sovereign rights.
As the nation commemorates a decade since the landmark ruling, the federation is calling for the full implementation of the decision and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), stronger government protection for fishermen, expanded economic assistance for affected communities, accountability from China for the environmental and economic damage caused by its activities, and renewed international efforts to peacefully resolve the maritime dispute.
For the fishermen, however, the anniversary is measured less by diplomatic milestones than by what has—or has not—changed on the water.
Ten years after the Philippines secured one of the most significant legal victories in its modern history, many still sail into the WPS carrying the same hopes they had before the ruling: to fish freely, return home safely, and provide for their families without fear. /mcm
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