Supplies loaded in Subic fuel West Philippine Sea fishing trips

STOCKING UP Provisions, including ice and fuel, are loaded onto boats in Subic, Zambales, in this photo taken on Sept. 12 to sustain long fishing trips in the West Philippine Sea. —JOANNAROSE AGLIBOT

(Second of three parts)

SUBIC, ZAMBALES — A day before a fishing boat sets sail in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), a crucial step ensures the success of the journey: loading provisions.

Johnny Mariano, 55, a resident of Barangay Calapandayan of this town, has been assisting fishermen for more than 10 years in loading ice, food, fuel and other supplies needed for the fishing expeditions, which usually last at least a week in open waters, including about 24 hours of voyage to reach their fishing spots in the WPS.

Every morning, several people like him can be seen here helping to load hundreds of blocks of ice from a local supplier.

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They also load provisions for fishermen from other nearby villages or for any boat that docks and needs to restock.

On Sept. 12, Mariano was helping load supplies for a boat from Mariveles town in nearby Bataan province that had also docked here.

Sometimes, Mariano says, they spend the whole day working, depending on how many boats arrive, the duration of the fishing trips, the number of crew and the type of fishing gear to be used.

Each fishing trip in the WPS usually requires 200 or more blocks of ice, which take hours and many people working together to load. The ice is first transferred onto improvised boats before reaching the larger mother boats.

“The owner of the boat will hire us to take care of loading the things they will use,” Mariano tells the Inquirer.

On good days, Mariano assists 10 boats or more. They can earn from P200 to P500 per boat.

“If no one goes on a fishing trip, we don’t earn anything,” he adds.

Many people like him in Subic town rely on the fishing industry and on the fate of fishing trips in the WPS.

Although Mariano has never been on a fishing trip and experienced harassment like the fishermen who continue to venture into disputed waters, he is aware of what is happening and how it can affect many livelihoods, including his own.

Fight for sovereignty

Along with the fishermen, he also calls on the government to continue defending the country’s sovereignty as China persists in asserting its claims over almost the entire South China Sea through aggressive actions.

Recently, the government protested China’s announcement that it had approved the creation of a “nature reserve” at the disputed Scarborough Shoal, a traditional fishing ground for WPS fishermen.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the shoal, known among locals as Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag, is a long-standing and integral part of the Philippines, over which it has sovereignty and jurisdiction.

The Philippines likewise has the exclusive authority to establish environmental protection areas within its territory and relevant maritime zones.

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The DFA said the Philippines would issue a formal diplomatic protest against the “illegitimate and unlawful action” by China, “as it clearly infringes upon the rights and interests of the country in accordance with international law.”

It also urged Beijing to respect the Philippines’ sovereignty and jurisdiction over the shoal, withdraw its state council issuance and comply with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the 2016 arbitral award on the South China Sea and the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.

Meanwhile, the Department of Education will include the WPS issue in the Araling Panlipunan (Social Studies) curriculum for Grades 4, 6 and 10.

The landmark move aims to instill in students a deeper appreciation of the country’s sovereign and territorial rights and maritime heritage in the WPS. INQ