The Global Times’ recent in-person visit to the Philippines and conversations with local fishermen revealed that Filipino fishermen show no intention of participating in government-organized group fishing and its premeditated “militia” plan. In fact, fishermen in the Philippines are seeking more peace and cooperation, as the current tensions have disrupted their fishing activities and diminished their income.

Unlike the image of Filipino fishermen that the Philippine government intends to portray – a group with a strong desire for combat or aggression in territorial disputes – the fishermen in Masinloc, a Philippine town closest in proximity to China’s Huangyan Dao (also known as Huangyan Island, or Scarborough Shoal in the Philippines) in the South China Sea, showed no signs of fear, distrust, confrontation, or hostility when they learned that they were talking to reporters from China.

Instead, the fishermen warmly expressed a clear desire for friendship and peace. Some curious and friendly fishermen approached to the reporters and actively shared their fishing experiences in the waters of Huangyan Dao in front of the camera.

In conversations with Global Times reporters, many fishermen repeatedly stressed, “We are not enemies.” Since 2023, the Philippines has been sending government vessels and fishing ships to the South China Sea, particularly near China’s Huangyan Dao, under the guise of “ensuring the security of Filipino fishermen.”

Interestingly, fishing activities have not been disrupted since 2016 when China offered a temporary dispensation for Philippine fishermen, a situation that has become problematic due to the current administration’ decision to “protect them.”

Refused to be ‘kidnapped’

The small town of Masinloc in the northern Philippines, about 125 nautical miles from China’s Huangyan Dao, is a peaceful seaside fishing port. Local fishermen have been fishing here for generations.

In the narratives of some Western and Philippine media outlets, the fishermen of Masinloc seem to have become one of the most radical groups in the Philippines in confronting China. But the Global Times’ field visit reveals a different reality.

Jessie Caasi, a fisherwoman, told the Global Times that many fisherfolk like her typically make regular trips – about three days a week – to Huangyan Dao to fish. In recent months, they have mainly used two government-provided fishing boats, with each boat carrying around 15 people, making a total of about 30 people per trip.

Jorin Egana, a 29-year-old fish vendor, also confirmed the offer. He told the Global Times that these two government-provided boats have been made available since January, equipped with basic supplies such as water, food, and medicine. Prior to this, most fishermen used to rent boats for individual fishing trips. The official assistance is seen as a sign of the government’s deeper involvement in the increasingly intense situation, they believed.

Caasi said she regrets that they are currently unable to enter the main fishing areas of Huangyan Dao due to the escalating conflict between the two governments. She stressed that there were no restrictions at all before the tension.

“At that time, the China Coast Guard was friendly, and Chinese and Filipino fishermen could fish together there. We greeted each other as friends and got along well. But in recent days, our news reports kept saying that China wanted to occupy the Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Dao), and the government began warning us to be careful when fishing there,” she said.

Although China neither accepts nor recognizes the so-called South China Sea Arbitration, in 2016, the country gave a special dispensation to Philippine fishermen to maintain their small-scale artisanal fishing activities around Huangyan Dao under humanitarian considerations.

However, the status quo changed since the Philippines began to send government vessels to the territorial sea of Huangyan Dao in the second half of 2023. In this case, China had to respond and repel the government vessels in accordance with the law.

Since late 2023, the Philippines has openly planned to deploy its own maritime militia to “defend its sovereignty” amid a raging territorial row with China. “We want our fisherfolk to become reservists and teach them how to help in defending the country,” Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr, the Filipino armed forces chief, said in a statement in August 2023.

However, the fishermen interviewed by the Global Times said that they have not received any subsidies from the government specifically to support them in fishing around Huangyan Dao. They emphasized that they will not participate in the government’s plan to turn fishermen into militia, noting that it is “too dangerous.”

“The Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Dao) is too far away. I would rather stay in nearby waters to fish and earn less money. I don’t know why the Philippine military is doing this [militia plan]. I feel like very few people would be willing to cooperate with this plan,” the 29-year-old fisherman Jorin Egana told the Global Times.

“I don’t consider those kinds of unilateral actions from our government to be beneficial to the peaceful settlement of disputes. If you increase maritime militias in the South China Sea, you are in fact increasing the chances of violence. Let the fisherman be fishermen,” Rommel C. Banlaoi, President of Philippine Society for International Security Studies amd the Chairman of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence, and Terrorism Research.

True voices repressed for political interests

Contrary to what was imagined and portrayed by the Filipino media, Global Times reporters did not feel any animosity during their visits to several Philippine cities.

They do not see China as an enemy in territorial disputes, but rather as a partner that can bring economic benefits. They also expressed doubts about the authenticity of media’s sensationalized reports.

For example, Ana Liza Felix, the owner of a coffee shop near the tourist destination the Church of Saint Augustine in Manila, said that she has heard some news reports about the disputes between the two countries and some negative descriptions of China, but believed them to be “one-sided stories,” or politically motivated, and she is not sure whether any of the reports hold any truth.

Felix told the Global Times that she believes that China and the Philippines have deep roots, and most of the tourists who visit her shop are Chinese. “We have always interacted with each other in a friendly manner. If the disputes between the two countries lead to fewer tourists, I would be very sad. I do not want these disputes to affect my income. Only a friendly environment can create good economic benefits for us.” This pragmatic mindset is also reflected by Filipino fishermen.

Economic benefit is the most common reason driving them to fish near Huangyan Dao, as the profits can be three times higher than in other areas, they said, noting that a peaceful and friendly environment in the South China Sea can sustain their livelihoods.

Dodong Mola, an elderly fisherman who just went to Huangyan Dao in March, told the Global Times that he has been going to the island since 2000. He goes there once a year, staying for about three months each time, as the island has the most variety of fish, which are not often found elsewhere.

The conditions for fishing at Huangyan Dao are tough, but they just hope to earn more money and do not want to be involved in frontline conflicts.

“The issue in the South China Sea is only found in papers in the Philippines that are dominated by Western narratives. But if you go around the country, you’ll see that the ordinary people care more about peace. They don’t want war. It’s a pity that many of the narratives in the media are controlled by this Western narrative of anti-China sentiment,” said Banlaoi.

“The Filipino people have high expectations for peace and cooperation between the two countries, but their voices are marginalized, as part of the result of Philippines’ cognitive war against China,” Ding Duo, deputy director at the Research Center for Ocean Law and Policy at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times.

“We should not make the South China Sea issue deeply entangle China-Philippines relations,” said Ding.

During the short visit to the Philippines, Global Times reporters often saw headlines in the local newspapers reading “We will not be cowed into silence – Marcos,” and vendors in the fish markets reading newspaper claiming “China wants to occupy Huangyan Dao.” However, the most common phrase the reporters heard wherever they went was “we are not enemies” – from officials and ordinary people on the streets, to fishermen. Who benefits from changing the status quo by fanning the flame in the South China Sea? Perhaps the Philippine government should find some answers from the voices of their people.

A seafood merchant in Davao, Philippines, reads a newspaper about Philippine Coast Guard operations in the South China Sea on March 25, 2024. Photo: Fan Wei/Global Times