Diogenes Corceles, fishing boat Queen Kim Eurich captain, and Richelle Mantolino, vice-president of the Sisiman Fishing Boat Owners Association, said the President has good relations with officials of China.
They said that Filipino fishermen were allowed to freely fish at the disputed shoal after Duterte’s visit to China.
Corceles said they have been fishing at Panatag twice a month and encountered no problem with the Chinese Coast Guard whose boat they saw just going around the area but not bothering them.
“Maganda ang pakikisama sa amin ng Chinese Coast Guard,” the boat skipper said.
On the report that China plans to build an environmental monitoring facility in Panatag, Corceles said he was not interested in it and leave the issue to President Duterte.
“Basta ang mahalaga sa amin ang makalabas-masok doon. Kung ano pinag-uusapan ng Pangulo at China, basta makabubuti sa marami, OK sa amin. Ituloy lang ng Pangulo plano niya sa West Philippines Sea para maiwasan ang gulo,” he said.
Corceles said the Philippines is no match to China in case of war: “Ipinauubaya namin sa Pangulo kung ano maganda dahil naniniwala kami sa kanya.”
Mantolino has different view on the reported building of China of environmental monitoring station. She said that China and President Duterte are doing well.
“Dahil maganda pakikitungo ng Pangulo sa China at pinayagan ang mga Filipino na makapangisda sa Panatag, sana lubos-lubusin na nila. Tayo at hindi ang China ang dapat magtayo ng facility doon,” she said.
She said that the Philippines owns Panatag and it will be unfair if China builds a monitoring facility in our territory.
