Fish in their nets
Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Wed, 19 Jun 2019 18:10:18 +0000
FROM a diplomatic/maritime issue, a Chinese vessel hitting one of our fishing boats has become an emotional issue. And why not? Even the usually unemotional have found ways to let off steam and let it go, steamily.
Nineteen fishermen plus three crewmen lost their boat and three tons of lapu-lapu, worth half a million pesos. Pouring oil on troubled waters, DoE Secretary Al Cusi made light of the incident/accident by alleging the ramming of Gem-Ver could not have been intentional as the Chinese should’ve aimed for more serious damage but did not. The foreign ministry of China fanned the flames by spinning a fantastic tale of their boat being scared off (!) when it was “suddenly besieged by seven or eight Filipino fishing boats.” So Capt. Junel Insigne and his men chose to stay in the water for three hours to await rescue by a Vietnamese boat?
When Commander-in-Chief Duterte broke his silence, it was to say, “Hindi ako gago na presidente” (I’m not an idiot) to die over a “banggaan” (collision) that could lead to a nuclear war with bombs ten times more powerful than what destroyed Hiroshima. Yes, he may be angry enough to send “a warship to the China Sea” as suggested by another official, “but I ‘m not in my boyhood age anymore.” The “only thing to do is wait for the other party” to respond.
While waiting, the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry offered to “immediately rehabilitate” Gem-Ver, shouldering the total cost, at the same time providing rice to the fishermen’s families. (An honorary official of FFCCCII happens to be in the shipping business.) The offer was conveyed to DND Secretary Delfin Lorenzana by FFCCCII president Henry Lim last Sunday. As of 5:30 p.m. June 17 Capt. Insigne told DZMM he had not received the news.
The government’s concern is not so much the ramming of a boat as the abandonment of its crew. After letting off heat and steam, it’s time to help the fishermen get back on their feet. They have no boat, no livelihood, no fish to catch. Sink or swim, diplomatic channels work with words, but for now the fishermen need food on their tables and fish in their nets.