While encouraging Filipino fishermen to continue fishing at
Scarborough Shoal, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief-of-staff Gen.
Gregorio Pio Catapang said they are still waiting for their marching orders
from the inter-agency committee on what to do in case Chinese Coast Guard ships
to fire their water cannons at the fisherfolk.
"We are still waiting for our marching orders which
will come from the inter-agency committee. We will do whatever (orders) is
given to us," he added.
Earlier, Western Command head Vice Admiral Alexander Lopez
urged Filipino fishermen to continue asserting their fishing rights at
Scarborough Shoal as it is legitimate Philippine territory.
"Our message (to Filipino fishermen despite the
purported Chinese harassment) is to continue going there (because) it is
ours.That's a traditional fishing country," he added.
He made this appeal especially to those fishermen based in Northern Luzon .
At the same time, Lopez said that there is an average three
Chinese Coast Guard ships off Scarborough Shoal.
These vessels are deployed there with the sole purpose of
driving away Filipino fisherfolks.
He also stressed that they are still to detect any Chinese
reclamation efforts in the vicinity.
Scarborough Shoal has been placed under the operational
jurisdiction of the Palawan-based Western Command in February 2014.
This was done through the orders of then Armed Forces of the
Philippines
"The area of Bajo De Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) has
been transferred from the Northern Luzon Command to the Western Command, this
is to enhance our external defense capabilities which is now being concentrated
at the Western Command and unity of effort and command so that our external
defense efforts will just be under one commander and that is the Western
Command commander," he added.
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