MANILA, Philippines — Fisherfolk group PAMALAKAYA slammed the Duterte administration for its warm, red carpet welcome of the Chinese Coast Guards amid the ongoing tensions in the West Philippine Sea involving the Filipino fishers and Chinese personnel.

“It is an insult to the Philippine sovereignty and the fisherfolk who are victims of the continuing Chinese occupation of the West Philippine Sea. It is essentially the Philippine government telling the Filipino people to welcome with open arms the Chinese aggression and oppression,” Fernando Hicap, PAMALAKAYA national chairman said in a statement Saturday.

For the Filipino people, especially the fisherfolk, it will never be a friendly visit but a blatant intrusion of Philippine territory by an outsider in collusion with the Philippine government, Hicap also said.

The fisherfolk group also lambasted the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) that while it was hosting its Chinese counterpart, Chinese vessels were spotted patrolling in the Philippine-owned Ayungin Shoal, which is part of the Kalayaan Group of Islands.

“The PCG can’t even protect our marine territory and fishers against Chinese intrusion, and yet it has the audacity to show the public its warm moments with the foreign aggressors. This is literally treason against Filipinos and the national sovereignty,” added Hicap.

Hicap, former Anakpawis Party-list solon, called on the Filipinos and all patriotic sectors to collectively denounce the ‘utter puppetry’ of the Philippine government to China. (Stacy Ang/IAMIGO/Curretph.com)