Filipino fishermen plying their trade in the West Philippine Sea should ignore China’s fishing ban, which the Asian giant aims to enforce in almost the entire South China Sea with its flotilla of coast guard vessels, armed militia boats and naval ships. Malacañang made the call yesterday as it emphasized that China’s unilateral fishing ban cannot be enforced in areas within the jurisdiction of the Philippines. “There is no extraterritorial application of laws of foreign countries. So just stay in traditional fishing grounds and the coast guard is there to protect the interest of our fishermen,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said. He said Filipino fishermen should not be prevented from casting their nets in Philippine waters.

Mendez, C., Macairan, E., & Felipe, C. S. (2021, May 21). Pinoy fishermen told to ignore China fishing ban. The Philippine Star, pp. 1, 4.