Marcos to back filing of case over cyanide fishing in Scarborough

This 2016 photo taken by a drone camera shows part of Scarborough Shoal, also known as Panatag Shoal and Bajo de Masinloc, which is a traditional fishing ground of Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea that is being claimed by China. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he would support the filing of a case against foreign fishers using cyanide in Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc. Photo by REM ZAMORA

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he would support the filing of a case against foreign fishers using cyanide in Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc.

“If we feel that there is enough ground to do so, we will,” Marcos said in an ambush interview in Manila.

“I do know that there are cases of cyanide fishing before, even here in the Philippines, but I think the reason it has become more alarming is that it has become more prevalent,” he also said.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) earlier reported the use of cyanide by foreign fishermen such as Chinese and Vietnamese, which led to Bajo de Masinloc’s degradation.

READ: NSC to probe foreign fishermen’s alleged use of cyanide in Scarborough

The National Security Council (NSC) has since announced that it will investigate the matter as it instructed the BFAR to complete its report with the necessary evidence.

“We at the National Security Council are alarmed by this development that this is happening, but we have to be careful also, so we have to validate and investigate,” NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said, speaking partly in Filipino, during the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public hearing on Monday.

READ: PH to build case on Chinese fishers’ alleged cyanide use in WPS

“We will investigate this report and if validated, we can forward this to the Department of Justice [DOJ] and the Office of the Solicitor General [OSG],” he added.

Malaya further said the DOJ and OSG are currently working on strengthening a case of environmental degradation against China.