As the government renews its interest to pursue joint venture with China to explore oil and gas in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), fishers in Zambales are ambivalent. Leonardo Cuaresma, president of the New Masinloc Fishermen Association, said while the initiative could help address the country’s fuel crisis following the conflict in the Middle East, they remain uneasy about the longer term implications of partnering with China. “We are very concerned; even if their intentions are good, this could once again become a reason for us to end up deeply indebted to them,” Cuaresma, speaking in Filipino, told the Inquirer on Thursday.

Aglibot, J. R. (2026, April 10). Zambales fishers lukewarm about PH-China energy venture in WPS. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A8.