Filipino fishermen stop going to Panatag

MARIVELES, Bataan: Fishermen on Friday said the Chinese Coast Guard has become stricter and bolder in the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal after an international arbitration tribunal’s ruling favoring the Philippines in a long-standing maritime dispute over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

Gerry Baldea, skipper of F/B Queen Mae, said his group tried going to Panatag, a traditional fishing area, last week but two big boats and two rubber boats of the Chinese Coast Guard shoved them while they were still seven miles away or less than an hour to the shoal.