Dr. Jose Antonio Goitia, Chairman Emeritus, has once again sounded the alarm on the worsening plight of Filipino fishing families and the contradictions in China’s latest maneuvers in the West Philippine Sea.
“Go to Subic and you will see the truth,” Goitia said. “Boats left to rot on the shore, fathers taking odd jobs in construction, families abandoning a tradition that has sustained them for generations. These are not isolated cases. They are the human cost of China’s aggression and environmental destruction.”
A recent report confirmed what Goitia has long warned: Subic’s fishermen, once sustained by the sea, are being forced to give up their livelihood. Daily catch is no longer enough to cover fuel, nets, and food. For many, leaving the sea has become the only path to survival.
Meanwhile, National Security Adviser Sec. Eduardo Año issued a sharp rebuke to China’s claim of establishing a so-called “nature reserve” in Bajo de Masinloc. Año stressed:
“The irony is clear: since 2016, evidence has shown large-scale harvesting of endangered species and reef destruction by Chinese fishermen, activities even cited by the Arbitral Tribunal. To now claim stewardship over an ecosystem that they themselves have damaged is both contradictory and misleading.”
Goitia echoed Año’s warning. “How can those who ravaged the reef now call themselves stewards of it? It is hypocrisy of the highest order,” he said. “And worse, their actions are not just destroying corals or fish. They are destroying Filipino lives, our very ability to put food on the table.”
Fresh developments further highlight these contradictions. On Sept. 16, a new maritime confrontation unfolded after Philippine and Chinese vessels reportedly collided in Bajo de Masinloc. While Beijing accused Manila of “provocative acts,” the AFP and PCG denounced China’s so-called “regulatory measures” as illegal harassment within the Philippine EEZ. Reports confirmed that even a humanitarian mission to deliver fuel and provisions to Filipino fishermen faced aggressive actions from nine Chinese vessels.
Chairman Emeritus Dr. Jose Antonio Goitia condemned China’s declaration of Bajo de Masinloc as a so-called “nature reserve,” calling it nothing more than a smokescreen for aggression.
“This is a contrived legal excuse,” Goitia said. “By invoking the language of conservation, Beijing is trying to mask its true intent, to justify the deployment not only of coast guard ships but even warships, and to tighten its grip on waters that are rightfully within our Exclusive Economic Zone. The result is more harassment of our fishermen and government vessels, more displacement of our people, and a blatant violation of international law.”
Goitia stressed that such actions cannot overturn the 2016 Arbitral Award or the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. “China’s so-called ‘reserve’ is a cover for an unlawful occupation. The world must see through this deception, because it is not about protecting the sea, it is about illegally taking it,” he said.
Chairman Goitia did not mince words: “This is the clearest proof of China’s duplicity. They speak of reserves and protection, but what they practice is coercion and violence. Even humanitarian missions for our fishermen are not spared from harassment. Every collision, every water cannon, is another nail in the coffin of their false narrative.”
For Goitia, the fight for the West Philippine Sea goes far beyond maritime boundaries or legal rulings. It is about survival. “Every abandoned boat is a story of betrayal,” he stressed. “And every Filipino must see that this is not just a fishermen’s fight. It is a national fight.”
He called on both government and civil society to rally behind fishing communities, through urgent measures such as fuel subsidies, modernized boats, and guaranteed access to traditional fishing grounds. But beyond immediate relief, he underscored the need for unity in standing firm against China’s deceptive claims.
“The sea cannot be guarded by those who destroyed it,” Goitia declared. “Only the Filipino fishermen, who have loved, respected, and lived by it, can truly be its stewards. And it is our duty as a nation to defend them.”
Dr. Jose Antonio Goitia serves as Chairman Emeritus of four respected civic-oriented organizations: Alyansa ng Bantay sa Kapayapaan at Demokrasya (ABKD), People’s Alliance for Democracy and Reforms (PADER), Liga Independencia Pilipinas (LIPI), and Filipinos Do Not Yield (FDNY) Movement, through which he continues to advance the causes of sovereignty, reform, and the dignity of the Filipino people.
