In yet another effort to convince the public that President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have not forged a five-year-old fishing deal, Malacañang on Tuesday said the Philippines does not need an agreement with China to enable local fishermen to trawl within the Scarborough Shoal. Presidential spokesperson Secretary Harry Roque cited the 2016 arbitral ruling of The Hague-based court which declared the shoal as a common fishing ground, effectively allowing both Filipino and Chinese fishermen to ply their trade in the area. “We no longer need an agreement over what we call joint fishing. It was clearly stated in the 2016 arbitral ruling,” Roque said in a televised briefing.

Blancaflor, M. (2021, April 28). No need for China fishing deal. Daily Tribune, pp. A1-A2.