Ang Pahayagan

BULACAN–Fishers’ group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) held a synchronized coastal protest in time of the 9th anniversary of the arbitral ruling on the West Philippine Sea.

As indicated by the verdict of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in 2016, PAMALAKAYA said that “China is both guilty of plundering the marine environment through its large-scale reclamation and poaching activities and violating the fishing rights of Filipino fishers in our exclusive economic zone”.

“Nine years after our landmark victory in the PCA, China won’t stop violating our fishing rights in most parts of the West Philippine Sea. This affects over 600, 000 fisherfolk and fish workers from our several provinces. We demand China to comply with the ruling and respect the rights of the Filipino fisherfolk in our traditional fishing grounds,” Fernando Hicap, PAMALAKAYA National Chairperson said in a statement.

PAMALAKAYA asserted “diplomatic measures to pursue demilitarization without involving any foreign powers in our territorial waters”.