Like most fishermen in the seaside village of Cato here, Joseph Daroca was not aware that the Philippines had filed a case against China over the maritime dispute in the West Philippine Sea. When told that the UN-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague had ruled that the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal was part of the Philippines, Daroca’s face lit up. “It’s good if that’s the case,” said Daroca, 44. He had stopped joining fishing trips to the shoal since January last year after their boat was driven away by the Chinese Coast Guard.

Macatuno, A., & Cardinoza, G. (2016, July 14). What exactly did we win? ask fishermen. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A8.