Filipinos should not seek permission from China to fish in the West Philippine Sea. "I think that goes without saying, and we've done it in the past," Malacañang said yesterday, reacting to the new Chinese fishing restrictions in disputed portions of the South China Sea, which include the Philippines' 327-kilometer exclusive economic zone (EEZ). “As the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) said, you have the right to fish, all states [can fish] in the high seas,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in an interview with state-run Radyo ng Bayan.

Ubac, M. L. (2014, January 12). Palace: Nobody needs permit to fish in high seas. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A14.