THE DEPARTMENT of National Defense (DND) said Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana has already tasked the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to validate the report of alleged harassment by Chinese vessels in the sandbars near Pag-asa Island in the contested West Philippine Sea. “Based on the initial communication from the AFP Western Command (WESCOM), there has been no substantiated report from our units on the ground confirming Mayor (Roberto M.) del Mundo’s statement. The AFP, through the Naval Forces West under WESCOM, will nonetheless continuously validate and report any information relevant to Mayor del Mundo’s claims,” said DND in a statement on March 6. Mr. Del Mundo, mayor of Kalayaan town located within Pag-asa island, recently reported that the presence of Chinese vessels around the island has been affecting the fishing activities of local fishermen. DND noted that the area cited by Mr. del Mundo is also a fishing ground for China and Vietnam. “It has to be noted that the area referred to by Mayor del Mundo is a traditional fishing ground for the Philippines and other countries, including China and Vietnam,” it said. “According to WESCOM, they have been encouraging fishermen from Pag-asa to continue their activities since it has been observed that they have not been fishing in the vicinity of the sandbar, even before the Chinese fishing vessels were sighted in the area,” it added. DND also said that a sheltered port is now being constructed on Pag-asa Island to help local fishermen. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

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