A Facebook user described China as “thick-skinned” after news broke that Beijing promised to help Filipino fishermen “increase production” by giving them fish.
“Kapal muks itong BFF ni Duterte,” Bernard Ong said in a Facebook post on July 26.
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“China announced it will give fish to our fishermen from Palawan during their annual “fish ban” in South China Sea – including Spratly and Panatag which UN Tribunal said falls under Philippine EEZ. The fish ban is to protect the environment kuno and allow the fish population to recover from overfishing,” he wrote.
But Ong also pointed out four things about China and their “fishing ban,” noting how ironic their ‘environmental’ move is when they destroy the environment, have no right to ban Filipino fishermen from their own seas, among others.
“1. They have no business banning Pinoy fishermen in our own seas & EEZs.
- China is the biggest destroyer of South China Sea environment with its illegal reclamation & fake-island construction.
- China has the largest mechanized fishing fleet in the area – the biggest factor behind fish stock depletion there.
- The fish they offer is probably ours in the first place. A tiny fraction of what they poach from our seas.”
Ong suggested that the Philippines should reject China’s offer.
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“The Philippine government should not accept fish from China. Should not even thank them for the offer. To do so would legitimize their false claim over most of South China Sea,” he said.
He instead said that Filipino fishermen should be encouraged to fish in Philippine seas.
“In fact, our government should encourage and escort Pinoy fishermen to fish in our waters. This will reinforce our legitimate claims & rights,” he added.
“Any Filipino official who sings praise for China’s fishy offer is a traitor. Instead of taking stinky fish from China, we should send our stinky trapos to China,” Ong wrote.
Ong’s reaction came after the Philippine Star article came out about how Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi vowed to give assistance to Filipino fishermen amid the annual fishing ban in the South China Sea.
“In order to help Philippine fishermen increase production and improve their livelihood in the near future, China will provide 100,000 young Lapu-Lapu fish to fishermen of Palawan region,” Wang told the media on July 25.
Wang was in Manila for his two-day official visit upon the invitation of Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano.
China imposed its fishing ban on commercial fishing in the Yellow/Bohai Seas, the South China Sea, and East China Sea from May 1 to August 16. However, it excluded the Spratly Islands from the ban.
Source: ( philstar.com )
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