Moratorium on mining, fisheries policies urged
    To save from hunger fishers affected by Chinese claim in Western waters

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    CLARK FREEPORT – Hundreds if not thousands of fisherfok displaced by China’s claim over the Scarborough Shoal off the western coast of Zambales and Pangasinan have appealed for a moratorium on two governmentpolicies that have worsened their plight.

    After a three-day fact-finding sortie to fishing communities in the two provinces’ coastal areas, representatives from six non-government groups reported that the affected small fisherfolk now earn a measly P50 to P100 from three days of fishing within municipal waters, amid their fears of venturing farther to the Bajo de Masinloc or the Scarborough Shoal where Chinese vessels chase them away.

    They used to earn a much as P3,500 from three days of fishing in the Scarborough waters, the fact-finding team said.

    “The affected small fishermen who are barred by the Chinese from Bajo De Masinloc are now victims of the Fisheries Code. They are contained within municipal waters, and yet some of these area are polluted by sediments from mining operations in their provinces,” noted Anakpawis partylist Rep. Fernando Hicap.

    He said the fisherfolk sought the help of the fact-finding committee to appeal to the government on moratorium on the enforcement of the Code as well as mining operations in their provinces.

    The Fisheries Code allows only the use of fishing rods in municipal waters within 15 kilometers from the coast. Commercial fishing is allowed only beyond 15 kilometers, but these areas are being guarded by Chinese vessels amid the ownership claim of China over the Scarborough area.

    The fact-finding team, which was participated in by former Sen. Leticia Ramos-Shahani, was composed of representatives from the fisherfolk group Pamalakaya, Pilipinong Nagkakaisa para sa Soberanya, Anakpawis partylist, Alyansa ng mga Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luson, Bayan Central Luzon, Move Now Zambales and Pamalakaya Pangasinan.

    Hicap said “Philippine policies and programs are putting the affected fisherfolk communities in worse hardship, particularly the implementation of Republic Act No. 8550 or the Fisheries Code of 1998 and the Mining Act of 1995.”

    He noted the small fishermen are compelled to fish in municipal waters in fear of the Chinese beyond 15 kilometers off the coast, but they are fined when caught by government authorities.

    Their plight is made worse by pollution caused by mining operations which continue to deplete fish population in municipal waters, he added.

    Hicap said the Filipino fisherfolk in Zambales and Pangasinan are “casualties of Chinese foreign aggression but the Aquino administration appears to ignore their plight.”

    Anakpawis urged the local governments of Zambales and Pangasinan and national agencies such as the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Reforms (BFAR), Philippine Coast Guard and other law-enforcement agencies to impose a moratorium on penalties on small fisherfolk.

    Anakpawis is pushing amendment to the fisheries law to allow small fishers to harvest in municipal waters while the group is working to legislate its repeal in congress. It added that as the issue of West Philippine Sea is a national and international issue, the Aquino government should have implemented a national mobilization to support and alleviate its effects on the affected sectors of the country.

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