The government on Thursday called on Filipino fishermen to swarm the West Philippine Sea after dozens of Chinese vessels were spotted in the area over the last few months.

“We should be there. That area is our traditional fishing ground,” said Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Director Eduardo Gongona, in an interview on the ANC news channel.The West Philippine Sea, which produces more than 300,000 metric tons of fish for the country annually, generates about 7 percent of the country’s fisheries output, Gongona said.

He added that this output was necessary for the country’s food security.“We are telling our Filipino fishermen to go out and fish in the West Philippine Sea because we need more than 300,000 metric tons of fish for our supply of food,” he said.

“The best the government can do is to send assets there to protect the fishermen, protect the fishing vessel and protect the environment that produces food,” Gongona added.Earlier, Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said “mutual swarming” of vessels increased the likelihood of a “mis-encounter” that could trigger the country’s Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States.“Brinkmanship brings clarity.

And fortitude,” he said.Over the weekend, the Philippine Coast Guard and the BFAR deployed eight capital ships to conduct maritime exercises in the West Philippine Sea as part of efforts to secure its maritime jurisdiction in the area.

Following this, the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday recited its claims that it “enjoys sovereignty” over the disputed waters and said Manila must “respect China’s sovereignty and rights and interests, and stop actions complicating the situation and escalating disputes.”But Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said China has no legal basis to prevent the Philippines from conducting maritime drills in the West Philippine Sea.Senator Richard J. Gordon said there was a need to increase coast guard patrolling and monitoring to protect the national territory.

Senator Risa Hontiveros said President Duterte did the right thing when he told Philippine ships in the WPS not to leave the area, despite the risk of damaging the country’s ties with China.

On the other hand, she said, the President should not think that remaining firm on enforcing the country’s territorial rights would necessarily lead to war with China.Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, meanwhile, said the Philippines should not have any misplaced feelings of indebtedness to China, after Duterte said Manila owes Beijing for its assistance, including the COVID-19 vaccines that it donated.

Recto said China’s continuing incursions in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the West Philippine Sea have displaced Filipino fishermen and reduced the country’s sources of food.