CLARK FREEPORT – A fishers group has accused the Armed Forces Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) of “intimidating” Zambales fishermen against being vocal against Chinese activities in the West Philippine Sea.
The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakayang Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said the supposed dialogue held by Nolcom with Zambales fishers last Thursday was “a way to pacify the anger and intimidate the fisherfolk from standing against Chinese harassment.”
In an earlier statement announcing the holding of the event in Zambales, Nolcom commander Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Salamat said the “forum aims to promote safety of fife at sea, raise awareness among our countrymen, and promote sovereignty over our maritime areas in Northern Luzon.”
But Pamalakaya said Nolcom “seemed to have been commissioned by China to smoothly facilitate their (Chinese) intervention in the country” during the forum.
The group, however, did not give forum details to back up its allegations against Nolcom. It said “Nolcom’s job is to guard our sovereignty against any foreign aggressor as mandated by the Constitution, not to create fear and coerce Filipino fishers.”
“Like Malacañang, the Armed Forces of the Philippines seemed to have been commissioned by China to smoothly facilitate their intervention in the country,” said Pamalakaya chairman Fernando Hicap.
This, even as Pamalakaya accused presidential spokesperson Harry Roque of using fishermen “to justify and cover up the Duterte government’s subservience to China and neglect in defending the West Philippine Sea.”
“What Roque did in presenting Zambales fishers harassed by Chinese Coast Guards was nothing but to whitewash the incident. He wanted to make it appear that Filipino fishers prefer the present situation wherein they are able to fish in the area unlike before. But the West Philippine Sea is indisputably ours in every aspect and we don’t have to ask for the consent of anyone in order to fish there,” said Pamalakaya.
“Roque obviously wanted to cover-up the incompetence of the Duterte government to resolve the sea row and justify its servitude to China which aggressively grabs our marine territory,” Hicap said.
In a recent press conference in Malacañang, Roque presented fishermen who were reportedly harassed by the Chinese Coast Guard in the Scarborough Shoal by taking their fish harvests.
Pamalakaya said, however, that the press conference was staged to make it appear that despite the harassment, the farmers were better off than before when they could not fish at all in the area.
