Barter?

President Duterte has spoken. There was neither seizure nor bullying, just barter among the Chinese Coast Guard and Filipino fishermen in Scarborough Shoal where the Coast Guard boarded the Filipino vessels, looked at their catch and began choosing the best, in exchange for noodles, cigarettes, and water. Duterte said that perhaps the Chinese did not know what the fish were worth, hence the lopsided trade. Are noodles, cigarettes, and water normally exchanged for fresh fish in China? The Filipinos knew exactly what these items were worth. A fisherman himself has stated that they would only be worth around two hundred pesos, while their fish may be sold for more than a thousand pesos. Keep in mind that the fishermen did not say that an exchange or barter occurred, because they had no choice. Their vessels would easily be crushed like tin cans, said one fisherman. I would think that a barter would entail both parties agreeing to an exchange. In this case, they were boarded and their vessel searched. Did they want to be boarded and searched? I don’t think so.

This administration continues to be apologists for all of China’s actions. The administration seems deaf to the fishermen’s plight. They cannot do anything if the Philippine president himself says nothing is wrong with what happened. They will just have to endure what happens whenever they fish at Scarborough Shoal.

Fishermen are also calling on the government to stop China and other countries from destroying the reef because of illegal fishing, specifically the digging of giant clams. The destruction of the reef can even be seen from Google Earth. Explosives are allegedly used to get to the clams. Some are even calling for China to be sued for the destruction of the reef. But if Duterte sees nothing wrong with the incident at Scarborough Shoal, all the more would he see nothing wrong with China fishing in it. Remember, China only allows Filipinos to fish in Scarborough Shoal “out of goodwill,” right?

DFA Secretary Cayetano said both the Philippines and China “co-control” Scarborough Shoal. If that’s true, why can’t our fishermen freely fish in the area? If that’s true, can our coast guard freely patrol the area as well? If that’s true, can our coast guard also board Chinese fishing vessels, look at their catch and trade pansit, yosi, and buko juice? Cayetano seems to have forgotten that “out of goodwill” statement of the Chinese, which essentially shows who is in control of the area. It would be ideal if both countries truly and equally control the shoal. But that is not the case on the ground, so to speak. Even the fishermen know that.