This is a follow-up article following The GUIDON’s initial report on San Salvador, Masinloc released on October 11.

LOCAL RESIDENTS from Barangay San Salvador in Masinloc, Zambales aired their concerns over policy changes by the Duterte administration during a praxis symposium organized by the Office of Social Concern and Involvement (OSCI).

OSCI is the university’s administrative arm that “seeks to deepen social awareness and intensify the passion for social involvement among Loyola School students.” The office positions students in traditional immersions in rural and urban communities, including San Salvador.

On September 23 to 25, 20 Ateneo students went to San Salvador for the senior year component of the Integrated Ateneo Formation Program.

According to OSCI Formator Nathalie Ting, Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal should be a “common fishing ground” for Filipino and Chinese fishermen. While access to Panatag has been renewed, she aired that the people of Masinloc should be critical on the need for permission from the Chinese to fish in the waters.

Panatag Shoal and China

Nanay Beth, one of the community leaders of San Salvador, said that Filipino fishermen now have access to Scarborough Shoal.

The renewed access to Panatag comes after President Rodrigo Duterte’s state visit to China on October 18 to 21, where he met President Xi Jinping. ABS-CBN News reported that following his visit to China, Duterte said that “makabalik na tayo doon sa Scarborough Shoal, ang pangingisda ng ating mga kababayan (maybe we can go back to Scarborough (Shoal, the fishing of our countrymen).”

Moreover, CNN Philippines reported that Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana showed aerial footage of Chinese patrol boats allowing Filipino boats to enter and fish in nearby waters.

Nanay Beth, a community leader in Salvador, confirmed that Filipino fishermen could now return to Panatag Shoal and that a group of fishermen from Zambales were able to make three back-and-forth trips to the reef without being harassed by the Chinese coast guard.

“Ang alam namin dati, kapag hindi bibitawan ng China, gagawin nilang national reserve. Pero ngayon maluwag na ang mga Tsino sa mga Pilipino (What we knew before was that if China does not let go of Panatag, it will be turned into a national reserve. However, the Chinese coast guard is now less strict on Filipino fishermen),” Beth said.

Nanay Winnie, another community leader, said that the fisherfolk from San Salvador found out about Duterte’s announcement through a newscast ABS-CBN Channel 2.

“Malaking tulong sa mga mangingisda [ang pagbalik sa Scarborough Shoal] (Renewed access to Scarborough is a big help to our fishermen),” she commented.

According to Nanay Winnie, fishermen from the municipalities of Masinloc, Sta. Cruz, and Candelaria in Zambales were able to voyage to Panatag recently. She said however that fisherfolk from San Salvador have yet to return to the prized reef.

Earlier this year, Nanay Jane, a 44-year old resident from San Salvador, told The GUIDON that while the Philippines won its arbitration case in Hague for Scarborough Shoal, Filipino fishermen still could not return to the shoal’s fishing grounds.

“Nanalo nga tayo [sa kaso], pero hindi pa rin tayo makapasok sa Scarborough Shoal (We won the case yes, but we still can’t proceed to Scarborough Shoal).”

She asserted that Panatag is Philippine territory, hence its namesake is also the name of their municipality in Zambales, Masinloc.

“Kaya nga Bajo de Masinloc ang tawag nila eh [sa Scarborough Shoal] (They call Scarborough Shoal Bajo de Masinloc for a reason,” Jane said.

Yet such access may be short-lived. On November 20, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon said that Duterte plans to turn Scarborough Shoal into a marine sanctuary where fishing is prohibited, a Rappler report said.

Once enacted, Duterte’s executive order may prevent the fisherfolk of San Salvador from returning to Bajo de Masinloc.

Drug war

Apart from Duterte’s pivot to China and stance on Scarborough Shoal, Nanay Winnie said that their community is also critical on the president’s War on Drugs.

As of November 23, Rappler estimates that the War on Drugs has resulted in 4,900 deaths both from legitimate police operations and vigilante-style killings.

“Ayaw namin ‘yung patayan (we do not like the ongoing extra judicial killings),” she said.

She added that Operation TokHang, where police knock on the doors of suspected drug pushers and users and persuade them to mend their ways prior to full, has reached the Masinloc mainland.

As of press time, Nanay Winnie says that the War on Drugs has not reached San Salvador.