WPS fishers ask Sara Duterte if 'China money' bought her silence

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Fisherfolk who depend on the West Philippine Sea for their livelihood have questioned whether reports of Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged China-linked financial transactions explain her silence on Beijing’s maritime aggression against Filipino fishers.

At a press conference organized by ATIN TO, fishers from Zambales and Bataan called for clear answers, particularly as Filipino fishers continue to face intimidation, dangerous encounters and restrictions in their traditional fishing grounds.

“Madam VP Sara, kaya po ba tahimik kayo sa gitna ng karahasan at kalupitan na sinasapit namin sa West Philippine Sea sa kamay ng Tsina ay dahil nabayaran ng milyones ang inyong katahimikan?” said Leonardo “Ka Nards” Cuaresma, president of the New Masinloc Fishermen Association.

(Madam VP Sara, are you silent amid the violence and cruelty we suffer in the West Philippine Sea at the hands of China because millions were paid for your silence?)

Cuaresma questioned the reported China-linked financial transactions involving Duterte and her husband, contrasting them with the harassment and intimidation Filipino fishers face from Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea.

“Habang kami ay hinaharass, tinatakot, pinagnanakawan ng huling isda at itinataboy ng mga barko ng China sa sarili naming karagatan, ang Bise Presidente at ang kanyang asawa ay diumano tumanggap ng milyon-milyon mula sa China," he said.

(While we are being harassed, intimidated, robbed of our catch and driven away by Chinese vessels in our own waters, the Vice President and her husband allegedly received millions from China.)

"Hindi ba isa itong katrayduran? Hindi ba dapat ipaliwanag ito sa taumbayan?” he added.

(Isn’t this an act of betrayal? Shouldn’t this be explained to the public?)

During Duterte’s impeachment trial, the Anti-Money Laundering Council confirmed that Cale88 Foods Corporation, a company linked to the Vice President and her husband, lawyer Mans Carpio, received about P319 million from China and Hong Kong.

The fisherfolk said every time Filipino fishing boats are driven away or their crews are intimidated, the fishers lose income and their families struggle to meet their basic needs.

Cuaresma urged Duterte and her husband to explain the nature, source and purpose of the reported China-linked financial transactions.

“For us, the impeachment trial of the Vice President is not only about unexplained and ill-gotten wealth. This is about our livelihood, our safety, and our country’s sovereignty. We face the risks at sea, and we deserve leaders who will stand up for us, not multimillionaire traitors,” Cuaresma said.

“Ang West Philippine Sea ay atin. Hindi dapat ang milyones ng Tsina ang manaig sa karapatan ng mga mangingisdang Pilipino na mangisda nang malaya at ligtas sa sarili nilang karagatan,” he added.

(The West Philippine Sea is ours. China’s millions should not prevail over the rights of Filipino fishers to fish freely and safely in their own waters.)

The fishers challenged Duterte to condemn China’s harassment of Filipino fishers in the West Philippine Sea and affirm that protecting national sovereignty takes precedence over her private interests.

GMA News has reached out to Duterte’s office for comment and will publish its response once available. —MCG, GMA News

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