Just because the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruled in favor of the Philippines in its territorial dispute against China, it doesn’t mean we can live happily ever after.
On Thu, Jul 14, two days after the Philippines’ legal victory, an ABS-CBN News team joined Filipino fishermen who wanted to fish in the waters of Scarborough Shoal.
Reporter Chiara Zambrano explained, “Nakisabay kami dito sa isang grupo ng mangingisdang Pinoy na susubok nga, sumubok sila na magpalaot isang araw pagkatapos ng arbitral tribunal at susubukan nga nila kung papapasukin na sila sa Scarborough Shoal.”
(“We joined a group of fisherman who are keen on fishing in the disputed area following the arbitral tribunal’s ruling. They will try to get to the Scarborough Shoal.”)
Alas, when the fishermen and the TV crew approached the Scarborough Shoal, they were initially blocked by two Chinese vessels. The group also sighted four more vessels in the area, including one that belonged to the Chinese Coast Guard.
Zambrano went on to relate, “Mine-megaphone kami. Kinukunan kami ng litrato at video at sinasabi nila, ‘This is China Coast Guard. This is a law-enforcement operation. We order you to leave the area immediately.'”
(“They are speaking to us using a megaphone. They are also taking pictures and recording a video. They are saying, “This is China Coast Guard. This is a law-enforcement operation. We order you to leave the area immediately.'”)
In other words, we won the legal battle but it doesn’t seem to matter to China.
