PCG, BFAR to increase presence in Bajo de Masinloc amid Beijing's fishing ban

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) will increase their presence in the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) to ensure that Filipino fisherfolk can continue fishing despite Beijing's imposition of its "unilateral fishing ban" in the entire South China Sea (SCS).

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

"Our PCG commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan has expressed our commitment to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the National Task Force [on the] West Philippine Sea (NTF-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.