The Chinese Coast Guard fired water cannons to Filipino fishermen who were fishing to their traditional fishing ground at Scarborough Shoal off Zambales Province. According to the Filipino fishermen, the latest Chinese agression towards them happened at about 2:00 PM on Arpil 9, 2015.
Deogenes Corseles, one of the Filipino fisherman who was among the group of around 80 fishermen doing their usual rounds of fishing at Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal). The Filipino fishermen who were driven away by the Chinese coast guard personnel were mostly from the provinces of Bataan, Zambales and Pangasinan.
The fishermen who arrived in the Philippines on Friday to sell their catch at the local fish port noted that spending a week near the Panatag Shoal, which was claimed by China as part of their territory, told reporters in Zambales about the bullying they received from Chinese coast guard personnel.
According to Corseles, one of the fishermen who became a victim by Chinese vessels firing of water cannons fell off his boat and was hurt during the incident. Witnesses of the incident narrated that the Chinese ship used a megaphone to warn the fishermen and played a recorded message in English asking them to leave the area.
The Panatag Shoal area (Scarborough Shoal) or also known as Bajo de Masinloc is located 230 kilometers from Masinloc own in Zambales. The areas was used to be a free zone for local fishermen until the Chine seized it in 2012.
