THINKED TV

Chinese fishermen have been using cyanide in Bajo de Masinloc to “intentionally destroy” the resource-rich lagoon, according to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

Parts of the resource-rich lagoon has been destroyed, said Nazario Briguera, chief information officer of the BFAR.

“‘Yung mga Chinese fishermen ay gumagamit ng cyanide,” he said in a press conference in Quezon City on Saturday.

Cyanide use was a possible reason the fish at the Bajo de Masinloc were small.

Briguera added that cyanide use “compromises the marine integrity, not only of the Philippines but also other countries.”

According to the BFAR’s spokesperson, the damage caused by China on corals had reached “billions of pesos.”

The BFAR and the Philippine Coast Guard said they were leaving it up to the Department of Justice to decide if a complaint would be filed against China.

“If you’re asking if we are satisfied now with the behavior of the Chinese, I will say we are not yet satisfied with the treatment. Sinasabi nga ng fishermen may free sila mangisda pag anjan kami dahil nakatuon ang attention ng China sa PCG at BFAR ships,” said PCG spokesperson for the Weat Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela.

In September last year, the Office of the Solicitor General said it considered filing a new complaint against China in the Permanent Court of Arbitration on the reported damage to corals in the WPS.

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