Noy urged: Junk Taiwan fishery pact

MANILA, Philippines - Fisherfolk group Pamalakaya on Wednesday called on President Benigno Aquino III to scrap the proposed fishery pact with Taiwan, saying fishing deal would grant Taipei's industrial fishing fleets unlimited access to the country's ocean waters.

"We strongly advise Mr. Aquino to walk away and cease from giving the proposed fishery pact with Taiwan a try," Pamalakaya vice chairperson Salvador France said.  

France maintained that the fishery pact which the Philippine government wants to clinch with Taiwan will put the country in an extremely disadvantageous position."

France said that only a handful of Philippine fishing fleets could explore the country's waters compared to the vastly improved Taiwanese fishing fleets which regularly poach inside the country's territorial waters.

"Less than 100 Filipino commercial fishing vessels are capable of exploring the West Philippine Sea for fishing expedition. Whereas, Taiwan, with its hundreds to thousands high tech and highly subsidized industrial fishing fleets are supremely capable of swallowing up all the resources in Philippine waters that rightfully belongs to the Filipino people," he added.

He said: "Taiwan wants unlimited fishing access in the Philippines, that is why it is pushing the government to enter into a bilateral fishing pact that would give Taipei unlimited fishing access in Philippine waters."