PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. yesterday said there has been some “improvement” in the communications between the Philippines and China and some “slow progress” in terms of addressing the fisheries issue in the West Philippine Sea/South China Sea between the two countries.
The President, in a media interview on the sidelines of the 125th anniversary of the Department of Agriculture, said Filipino fishermen are now able to fish in the area, even if they have been “tailed” by Chinese vessels, unlike in the past when they are being blocked.
“Iyung latest na report ay sinundan na lang, hindi na kagaya ng dati na hinaharang. So there’s a little progress there (the latest report was that they were tailed, they were not blocked. So, there’s a little progress there),” Marcos said.
He added that due to this development, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) predicted an increase in fish production.
“These things do not come very quickly. Slowly, slowly, but we are slowly making progress because the key to that was really, the improved communication between the Philippine government and the Chinese government,” the President said.
Marcos reiterated that when he talked with Chinese President Xi Jinping, he insisted that the Filipino fishermen should be allowed access to their traditional fishing ground and should not be made to suffer from the territorial dispute with the two nations.
