Kalayaan mayor, residents to ignore China fishing rule
MANILA, Philippines - The mayor of the China-claimed Kalayaan Islands off Palawan said he ignores Beijing's new rule requiring foreigners to ask permission before fishing in the South China Sea.
Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon Jr. said on Wednesday that the fishing policy is not only "absurd" but also a scare tactic for smaller countries contesting the Asian giant's assertions.
"I just ignore it. I don’t care whether they have that policy because we do not follow. We do not belong to their country, we follow our own rules," Bito-onon said in an interview with a state news agency.
"China cannot ban our fishermen to go to the West Philippines Sea to fish because there is freedom of navigation and there is right of innocent passage," he added.
Related story: Chinese scholar admits: 9-dash line without legal basis...yet
Echoing the United States in calling Beijing a "bully," the local official himself recounted his encounter with Chinese sea patrol.
"I, myself, have experienced their bullying twice when China’s warship crossed the bow of our boat. It is showing posturing, and it is affecting the freedom of navigation, which creates fear," he said.
Bito-onon is also doubtful of how Chinese authorities will implement the new fishing regulation given the impact of diplomatic protests of the Philippines and neighboring countries in the international community.
"I don’t know how they will execute the policy because it involves so many countries and fishermen from these countries. But I am puzzled why China keeps on bullying the Philippines by making us believe that we need to get their permission to be able to fish in the West Philippines Sea," he said.
The mayor, however, believes that recent moves of China will send a signal to the United Nations arbitral court to expedite proceedings on the "Philippines vs. China" case.
"What I want is to speed up the resolution of the cases so that we can also start moving in developing tourism in Kalayaan," he said.
Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez had said, however, the China is insisting on pushing through with the unilaterally declared fishing rule.
- Latest
- Trending
