West Philippine Sea
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Duterte: It’s OK to let China fishermen in PH waters
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte is willing to meet China halfway in the territorial dispute in the South China Sea and allow the Chinese to fish in Philippine waters, his spokesperson said on Tuesday. The President was asked on Monday night whether Manila would bar Chinese fishermen from Philippine waters after a Filipino boat sank in the South…
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Duterte can face impeach raps over Chinese fishers in PH waters: analyst
MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte can face a fresh impeachment complaint if government agencies implement his pronouncement that Chinese fishers can venture into Manila’s waters, a maritime law expert said Wednesday. “Kung mangyari po iyun, i-implement nila iyan dahil sa statement ng Pangulo, pwede po siyang kasuhan ng impeachment,” said Jay Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines…
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China’s intrusion worsens fish catch decline – watchdog
MANILA, Philippines — An environmental advocacy group has warned that local fisheries production might not recover soon with President Duterte’s stand allowing China to continue fishing within Philippine territorial waters. International organization Oceana said the executive department’s task is to enforce the law and prosecute violators, which is mandatory and not discretionary. “Is he not worried that soon there…
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Carpio says allowing China to fish in Philippine EEZ unconstitutional
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 25) — Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said it is unconstitutional for the Philippine government to allow Chinese fishermen to fish in the country’s exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea. “The Philippines has exclusive sovereign right to exploit all the fish, oil, gas and other mineral resources in its Exclusive…
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Gordon to China: Abandoning our fishermen is the issue
MANILA, Philippines — “Whether it is an accident or an intentional collision is beside the point. The crux of the matter is you (China) left the fishermen in peril of the sea.” Senator Richard Gordon said this on Wednesday in reaction to China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang remark that the Recto Bank incident was an “accidental collision.” “The issue…
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Philippines loses P68.5 billion annually to illegal fishing – USAid
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines loses nearly P68.5 billion annually to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, according to US Agency for International Development (USAID) Environment Office chief John Edgar. The United Nations also said that the Philippines’ fish production is on the decline due to competition from China and Vietnam. Approximately 60 percent of Filipinos live in coastal zones and…
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‘So stupid’: Duterte lashes out at SC Justice Carpio over sea zone jurisdiction
MANILA (UPDATE)—President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday berated Antonio Carpio, calling the Supreme Court Associate Justice “so stupid” for saying Chinese fishermen are not allowed to exhaust the Philippines’ resources in its exclusive economic zone. “Sabi ko nga, ‘Alam mo, Justice Carpio, napaka-estupido mo.’ That is why hanggang diyan ka lang talaga. He’s from Davao. Basta noon pa, hindi ako…
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What Duterte can learn from Taiwan’s leaders: Inquirer columnist
MANILA (PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – “People need to bear in mind that you need to be independent, since China uses economics as a leverage (to push its geopolitical agenda),” Taiwan’s dauntless President Tsai Ing-wen told me during our conversation last Friday. The mood in the room was sombre, yet the Cornell-trained legal scholar and longtime activist remained…
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Del Rosario finds Duterte’s pronouncements as against the Constitution
Following President Rodrigo Duterte’s statement allowing China to fish in the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario on Wednesday questioned the wisdom and legality of such pronouncement in the light of the recent ramming of a Filipino fishing boat by a Chinese vessel off Reed Bank in the West Philippine Sea. In a statement…
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Duterte vs fishermen: Is the Philippines lawyering for China?
MANILA, Philippines – After 22 Filipino fishermen aboard fishing boat Gem-Ver were sunk by a Chinese vessel in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), they face another collision at home: with their own government. While the fishermen insisted that they were rammed by a Chinese vessel, President Rodrigo Duterte on June 17 dismissed their ordeal as a “maritime incident.”…