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Duterte may raise Scarborough Shoal harassment during China visit - Panelo

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/news/03/27/boatman.jpg"/><figcaption>A Philippine fisherman rests on a dinghy as Chinese fishing boats pass by at the disputed Scarborough Shoal April 5, 2017.<em> Erik De Castro, Reuters</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA--President Rodrigo Duterte may raise China&#x27;s alleged harassment of Filipino fishermen in Scarborough Shoal when he visits Beijing next month, his spokesperson said Wednesday. </p><p>Senatorial candidate Neri Colmenares last week released a Facebook video in which 2 Filipino fishermen detailed how the Chinese Coast Guard would seize their catch and drive them away from the resource-rich shoal. </p><p>&quot;I think he (Duterte) will raise that as an issue during the visit [to China]. Si Presidente nagri-raise kaagad iyung mga ganoon, but hindi iyung para kang nagwawala,&quot; Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo told ANC. </p><p>(The president immediately raises issues like that, but not in a way that you&#x27;d seem to be running amok.) </p><p>Duterte, who has sought economic ties with Beijing, will attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in China in April.</p><p>The Philippine government will &quot;definitely&quot; protest the supposed harassment of fishermen, said Panelo. </p><p>&quot;We will not allow fishermen, countrymen to be harassed by any foreign entity,&quot; he said.</p><p>Panelo, who is also Duterte&#x27;s chief legal adviser, said the government should also &quot;go back to the negotiating table&quot; and re-examine trade agreements with Beijing. </p><p>&quot;Kung inaapi nyo kami e teka muna, tingnan muna natin ulit iyung mga agreements natin,&quot; he said. </p><p>(If you are oppressing us, wait, let&#x27;s look at our agreement again first.) </p><figure class="op-interactive"><div id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1_Container"> <ivs-player id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-vid="1387842" data-ivs-floating="1"></ivs-player> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/iframe-parent.js"></script> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script> </div></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>Scarborough, called by Filipinos as Panatag Shoal and by the Chinese as Huangyan Island, was the site of a 2012 standoff between the Philippines and China. The standoff erupted when Manila sent its biggest warship to chase off Chinese poachers.</p><p>China gained effective control of the shoal after Manila withdrew its vessel. It then started blocking Filipino fishermen from the shoal.</p><p>President Rodrigo Duterte’s overtures to Beijing lowered the tension in the area, with Chinese President Xi Jinping himself promising to allow Filipino fishermen back into the rocky outcrop.</p><p>But fishermen said China continued to have control over the shoal despite the decision of a United Nations-backed arbitral tribunal in 2016 which declared it as a traditional fishing ground for both China and the Philippines.</p><p>The shoal is a potential flashpoint in the disputed sea, as maritime experts said Beijing was eyeing to build another artificial island there to fully cement its control of the vital waterway.</p><p>Manila has declared any Chinese reclamation on the shoal as a “red line.” </p>

<p>President Rodrigo Duterte may raise China's alleged harassment of Filipino fishermen in Scarborough Shoal when he visits Beijing next month, his spokesperson said Wednesday. <br /> </p>

President Rodrigo Duterte may raise China's alleged harassment of Filipino fishermen in Scarborough Shoal when he visits Beijing next month, his spokesperson said Wednesday.