From left: Cherry Naluz, NYMWPS medical assistant; Jericho, son of Dr. Celia and Professor Ron Lamkin; Professor Lamkin, NYMWPS member and adviser; Dr. Celia Lamkin, NYMWPS founder and global chair; Cathy Naluz, NYMWPS medical assistant; and Romeo Belocora, founder of Philippine Guardians Brotherhood Inc.-Genesis chapter in Cainta.
Scarborough Shoal fisherfolk and families as well as NYMWPS members are asking the Filipino people to fight for the West Philippine Sea. They are also demanding that China respect Philippine sovereignty, stop destroying Philippine marine resources and to get out of the West Philippine Sea. In photo are Dr. Celia Lamkin, NYMWPS founder and global chair, holding the NYMWPS banner; Capt. Caruso M. Tagal, NYMWPS director of membership; Professor Ron Lamkin, NYMWPS member and adviser; and Via Tagal, NYMWPS multimedia officer.
(NYMWPS) — A civilian contingent of some 90 Bajo De Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal fishermen and civil society members aboard 25 motor boats Saturday afternoon, embarked on a symbolic sea expedition a mile off the waters of Zambales and demanded China to leave immediately.
Earlier on the same day, the Armed Forces of the Philippines reported that China’s Coast Guard directed water cannon at its resupply mission boat on its way to BRP Sierra Madre beached in Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal).
Ayungin is a submerged reef 194 kilometers (105 nautical miles) off Palawan, well within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone.
Hainan, China’s nearest province to Ayungin Shoal is 1,285 kilometers (694 nautical miles) more than thrice farther the mandated 200-nautical miles allotted each coastal state by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The Philippine resupply boat Unaizah May 4 or UM4 sustained heavy damage and three of its Navy crew were injured and were promptly given medical attention, according to National Security Adviser Eduardo Año on Sunday.
The Rotation and Resupply mission was accomplished after BRP Sierra Madre deployed inflatable boats to UM4 to ferry personnel.
The symbolic sea expedition was spearheaded by the National Youth Movement for the West Philippine Sea or NYMWPS, a peaceful, transglobal organization that advocates for the Philippine sovereignty and territorial integrity, in support of Scarborough Shoal fishermen who are always being harassed by China’s Coast Guard and militia and denied bountiful living.
Testimonies of fishermen revealed that China’s Coast Guard has been harassing them by using rubber boats and water cannons if they could not apprehend them while sailing towards Scarborough Shoal.
The civilians led by Dr. Celia Lamkin of Guam and the CNMI, founder and global chair of NYMWPS, protested increasing Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea and demanded China to leave immediately.
“Get out of our sea! Respect our sovereignty! Stop bullying and oppressing our fishermen and countrymen!” Lamkin angrily said in calling out China.
The NYMWPS also conducted a medical mission to provide free medicines to 100 patients as well as health education and counselling.
The non-government organization also distributed rice, canned goods and noodles to 156 families of Scarborough Shoal fishermen.
The NYMWPS was assisted by the Philippine Guardians Brotherhood Inc.-Genesis chapter Cainta led by its founder Romeo Belocora; the PGBI Masinloc Chapter led by Ray Elpuz, who is also the president of the NYMWPS Zambales chapter; Capt. Caruso Mario Antonio Tagal, a former pilot of the Philippine Air Force, and a retired pilot of Philippine Airlines; the NYMWPS director of membership, Professor Ron Lamkin, the husband of Dr. Lamkin and NYMWPS member and adviser; son Jericho, NYMWPS member; Alphonse Vita, NYMWPS Membership Committee chair; Via Tagal, NYMWPS multimedia officer; Cherry Naluz and Cathy Naluz, NYMWPS volunteer medical assistants.
Some of the members of PGBI Masinloc who are also fishermen were also given grocery items.
The NYMWPS called on the Filipino people to fight for and defend the West Philippine Sea as well assert and harvest the gains of the Philippine victory in the International Arbitral Tribunal on July 12, 2016.
On that day, the U.N. Arbitral Tribunal in the Hague junked China’s nine-dash line claims and ruled that Ayungin Shoal is within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone.
China refused to acknowledge the decision and claims the entire South China Sea which includes the West Philippine Sea.
The other countries that have overlapping maritime claims are Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam and Taiwan.
The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea is scheduled to meet today to discuss the latest violent incident initiated by China.
Several countries including the U.S., Japan, the European Union, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and the Netherlands have denounced the latest China aggression and called on Beijing to respect the law-based international order.
Fisherfolk and the NYMWPS team launch a symbolic sea expedition in Masinloc, Zambales, the Philippines.
During NYMWPS’ medical mission, Dr. Celia Lamkin provided medical services to 100 individuals. Cherry Naluz, right, checks the blood sugar of a patient.
Rey Elpuz, founder of Philippine Guardians Brotherhood Inc. and president of NYMWPS Zambales chapter, and PGBI Cainta chapter member Arnaldo Aljibe assist in giving out bags of groceries and rice to fisherfolk.
Alphonse Vita, NYMWPS Membership Committee chair, calls on the fisherfolk to stand up and defend the West Philippine Sea.
