Chinese Coast Guard ships are still guarding Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, although they have allowed Filipinos to fish “unmolested” for the first time in years, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said yesterday. The officials said this was shown in Philippine aerial surveillance photos of the shoal, which a UN-backed arbitration court had declared as a common fishing ground. Presidential Communications Office Secretary Martin Andanar and Lorenzana said the return of Filipino fishermen to the shoal, which China seized in 2012 after a standoff with the Philippines over its vessels in the area, was “a most welcome development” because it brought back their key source of livelihood.

Romero, A., & Lee-Brago, P. (2016, October 31). China ships still guard shoal as Pinoys return. Philippine Star, pp. 1, 4.