Malacañang said the agreement entered by President Rodrigo Duterte to Chinese President Xi Jin Ping on allowing Chinese fishermen to trawl in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) was “informal.” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo on Monday said the informal agreement meant that Filipino fishermen could fish in the country’s EEZ without being shooed away by Chinese fishermen. “I think that was more of an informal agreement rather than documented,” Panelo said. “It is being enforced in a way that we’re being allowed to fish there in the areas that fishermen could not at the time.” Panelo added the country cannot enforce a 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration which stated that the Philippines’ EEZ and in its marine resources belonged to the Philippines.

Co, A. S. (2019, July 2). Duterte-Xi agreement on EEZ 'informal' - Palace. Panay News, pp. 6, 15.