President Rodrigo Duterte on wednesday was criticized by Filipino fishermen after the government’s decision to ban them from a rich South China Sea fishing ground.
As part of his efforts to ease tensions over disputed waters controlled by China, Duterte’s aides said he had made a “unilateral” declaration to make the lagoon at Scarborough Shoal a protected marine sanctuary, after raising the issue during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a regional summit in Peru last weekend. However, it was not clear whether Xi supported the plan.
Fernando Hicap, chairman of fishermen support group Pamalakaya, in a statement said “we fear that declaring it as a marine sanctuary would pave way for another fishing blockade… This time it will be our own law and government that will prohibit [Filipino fishermen], not China.”
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