The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) will increase their presence at Bajo de Masinloc in the West Philippine Sea to ensure that Filipino fisherfolk could still enter their traditional fishing ground despite Beijing’s imposition of a “unilateral fishing ban.”

This was assured by PCG spokesperson for WPS, Commodore Jay Tarriela, in an interview in state-run PTV’s Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing on Wednesday.

“Our PCG commandant, Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, has expressed a commitment to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the National Task Force WPS that the PCG will further strengthen its presence in Bajo de Masinloc,” Tarriela said.

“We are going to intensify our presence in collaboration with the deployment of the BFAR,” he added.

Empty threat

Meanwhile, Tarriela noted a significant decrease in the presence of Chinese vessels at Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Panatag or Scarborough Shoal.

“As we monitored the number of vessels since the Atin Ito convoy, it has decreased tremendously so we can conclude that the enforcement of the fishing ban and the upcoming regulations they have mentioned are not actually for real or it’s just an empty threat,” Tarriela said in a separate interview.

He said China’s fishing ban is only intended to discourage Filipino fisherfolk from conducting their activities in their traditional fishing grounds.

By imposing their “illegal policy,” Tarriela said China also intends to discourage other civil society organizations from joining or conducting civilian missions in the WPS.

“There’s no reason for Filipino fishermen to be afraid. For us, this is just an empty threat on the part of the China Coast Guard,” he added.

The BFAR likewise noted that China’s declaration of the fishing ban “has no legal basis.”