Water cannon victim seeks help

INFANTA, Pangasinan , Philippines   â€“ A boat captain who witnessed how his fellow fishermen were fired upon with a water cannon by a Chinese coast guard ship in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal late January appealed yesterday to President Aquino to provide them with alternative livelihood so they would no longer endanger their lives fishing in the disputed territory.

The vessel of Ramoncito Damus, 28, of Barangay Cato in this town, was between two other boats that were fired upon with water cannon last Jan. 27.

He said he recorded the incident in his cellular phone.

Damus said he and his companions were in about 20 motorboats that went fishing on Jan. 17 and reached Panatag Shoal on Jan. 27.

It was the first time that they experienced being met with water cannon, according to Damus, adding that he saw Chinese men signaling them to go away.

“We felt everything then – fear, nervousness. We didn’t know what they were thinking and we were afraid they might harm us one by one to force us out of Panatag Shoal,” he said.

However, they were only able to leave the area the following day due to strong winds, Damus said.

He also told The STAR that despite their traumatic experience, he and his fellow fishermen will continue fishing in Panatag Shoal because it is a property of the Philippines.

He said he has been fishing in Panatag Shoal since he graduated from high school, and this has been his family’s source of income.

“The Chinese insist that they own the area but from the time I was born, my family had been fishing there. We fishermen should be spared from the territorial dispute,” Damus said in Filipino.

He said that if the government would ask them to stop fishing in Panatag Shoal following the water cannon incident, he would be willing to try other kinds of work.

His wife is a housekeeper and they have two children.

Asked if the local government had given them any help, Damus said they were asked to go to the municipal hall recently “but only to be interviewed by reporters.”

Damus arrived in Barangay Cato last Feb. 2.

He said he was surprised that reporters started interviewing him about the incident when he thought no one among them reported what happened.

Some of his companions were from Infanta, Masinloc, Sta. Cruz and Subic.

Damus said although every journey to the sea means their life could be in danger – either from disaster or other incidents – they would continue fishing until help from government comes in.