Palawan-based fishers have expressed fear of getting picked up at sea by the Chinese coast guard and detained for 60 days once Beijing’s new maritime regulation takes effect on June 15. In a radio interview, Puerto Princesa City Councilor Elgin Robert Damasco said he and other officials had a meeting recently with fisherfolk where they relayed their apprehension that China would make good its threat to detain without trial for two months any foreigner found “trespassing” in what it considers its territorial waters.

Cariaso, B. (2024, May 24). Palawan fishers anxious about China's threat to arrest 'trespassers'. The Philippine Star, p. 5.