19/09/2025
Chairman Goitia: “The Sea Cannot Be
Guarded by Those Who Destroyed It”
Dr. Jose Antonio Goitia, Chairman Emeritus, has once again sounded the alarm on the worsening plight of Filipino fishing families and the contradictions in China’s latest maneuvers in the West Philippine Sea.
“Go to Subic and you will see the truth,” Goitia said. “Boats left to rot on the shore, fathers taking odd jobs in construction, families abandoning a tradition that has sustained them for generations. These are not isolated cases. They are the human cost of China’s aggression and environmental destruction.”
A recent report confirmed what Goitia has long warned: Subic’s fishermen, once sustained by the sea, are being forced to give up their livelihood. Daily catch is no longer enough to cover fuel, nets, and food. For many, leaving the sea has become the only path to survival.
Meanwhile, National Security Adviser Sec. Eduardo Año issued a sharp rebuke to China’s claim of establishing a so-called “nature reserve” in Bajo de Masinloc. Año stressed:
“The irony is clear: since 2016, evidence has shown large-scale harvesting of endangered species and reef destruction by Chinese fishermen, activities even cited by the Arbitral Tribunal. To now claim stewardship over an ecosystem that they themselves have damaged is both contradictory and misleading.”
Goitia echoed Año’s warning. “How can those who ravaged the reef now call themselves stewards of it? It is hypocrisy of the highest order,” he said. “And worse, their actions are not just destroying corals or fish. They are destroying Filipino lives, our very ability to put food on the table.”
Fresh developments further highlight these contradictions. On Sept. 16, a new maritime confrontation unfolded after Philippine and Chinese vessels reportedly collided in Bajo de Masinloc. While Beijing accused Manila of “provocative acts,” the AFP and PCG denounced China’s so-called “regulatory measures” as illegal harassment within the Philippine EEZ. Reports confirmed that even a humanitarian mission to deliver fuel and provisions to Filipino fishermen faced aggressive actions from nine Chinese vessels.
Chairman Emeritus Dr. Jose Antonio Goitia condemned China’s declaration of Bajo de Masinloc as a so-called “nature reserve,” calling it nothing more than a smokescreen for aggression.
“This is a contrived legal excuse,” Goitia said. “By invoking the language of conservation, Beijing is trying to mask its true intent, to justify the deployment not only of coast guard ships but even warships, and to tighten its grip on waters that are rightfully within our Exclusive Economic Zone. The result is more harassment of our fishermen and government vessels, more displacement of our people, and a blatant violation of international law.”
Goitia stressed that such actions cannot overturn the 2016 Arbitral Award or the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. “China’s so-called ‘reserve’ is a cover for an unlawful occupation. The world must see through this deception, because it is not about protecting the sea, it is about illegally taking it,” he said.
Chairman Goitia did not mince words: “This is the clearest proof of China’s duplicity. They speak of reserves and protection, but what they practice is coercion and violence. Even humanitarian missions for our fishermen are not spared from harassment. Every collision, every water cannon, is another nail in the coffin of their false narrative.”
For Goitia, the fight for the West Philippine Sea goes far beyond maritime boundaries or legal rulings. It is about survival. “Every abandoned boat is a story of betrayal,” he stressed. “And every Filipino must see that this is not just a fishermen’s fight. It is a national fight.”
He called on both government and civil society to rally behind fishing communities, through urgent measures such as fuel subsidies, modernized boats, and guaranteed access to traditional fishing grounds. But beyond immediate relief, he underscored the need for unity in standing firm against China’s deceptive claims.
“The sea cannot be guarded by those who destroyed it,” Goitia declared. “Only the Filipino fishermen, who have loved, respected, and lived by it, can truly be its stewards. And it is our duty as a nation to defend them.”
Dr. Jose Antonio Goitia serves as Chairman Emeritus of four respected civic-oriented organizations: Alyansa ng Bantay sa Kapayapaan at Demokrasya (ABKD), People's Alliance for Democracy and Reforms (PADER), Liga Independencia Pilipinas (LIPI), and Filipinos Do Not Yield (FDNY) Movement, through which he continues to advance the causes of sovereignty, reform, and the dignity of the Filipino people.
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Chairman Goitia: Buong Suporta kay Presidente Marcos sa Laban Kontra Korapsyon
Muling ipinahayag ni Dr. Jose Antonio Goitia, Chairman Emeritus, ang kanyang buong suporta kay Pangulong Ferdinand “B**gbong” Marcos Jr. sa pinaigting na kampanya laban sa korapsyon, na kanyang binigyang-diin bilang isang moral at pambansang tungkulin, hindi lamang usaping pampulitika.
“Ang panawagan ni Pangulong Marcos na wakasan ang korapsyon ay hindi lang tungkol sa pagpaparusa sa mga tiwali. Ito ay para ibalik ang dangal ng sambayanang Pilipino at matiyak na bawat pisong mula sa kaban ng bayan ay tunay na nakikinabang ang taumbayan,” ani Goitia.
Isang Kilusang Bayan para sa Katapatan
Kaugnay nito, isasagawa ng September Twenty-One People’s Movement Against Corruption ang Anti-Corruption Peace Rally sa darating na Setyembre 21, 2025, mula ika-4:00 ng hapon hanggang ika-7:00 ng gabi. Ang pagtitipon ay magsisimula sa kahabaan ng Morayta at magmamartsa patungong Mendiola — na isang makasaysayang lugar ng laban ng taumbayan.
Layunin ng martsa na ipakita ang suporta kay PBBM sa paglaban sa katiwalian at papanagutin ang lahat ng nasa likod ng mga palpak at “ghost” flood control projects na kumain sa kaban ng bayan at nagdulot ng matinding pagkadismaya sa mamamayan.
“Hindi matatanggap ng taumbayan ang mga proyektong nasa papel lamang, mga kontratang pinalobo ang halaga, at mga politikong kumikita mula sa pawis ng bayan. Sobra na, tama na, at panahon na para lumaban!” giit ni Goitia.
Pagpapatibay sa Pamumuno ni Presidente Marcos
Binanggit din ni Goitia na mahalaga ang pamumuno ni Pangulong Marcos sa pagbuwag ng sistematikong korapsyon na matagal nang pumipigil sa kaunlaran ng bansa.
“Kasama namin tumitindig ang Pangulo dahil ang laban na ito ay para sa bawat manggagawa, magsasaka, at mangingisdang Pilipino na araw-araw nagpapakahirap para itaguyod ang bayan. Ang pagsuporta sa Pangulo ay pagsuporta sa kinabukasan kung saan ang mga lider ay may pananagutan at ang yaman ng bayan ay tunay na ilalaan para sa pag-unlad,” dagdag niya.
Sama-samang Panawagan
Pinangungunahan ang pagtitipon ng malawak na koalisyon ng mga makabayang grupo kabilang ang FDNY Movement, Alyansa Bantay Kapayapaan at Demokrasya (ABKD), Liga Independencia (LIPI), People’s Alliance for Democracy and Reforms (PADERngDemokrasya), mga kabataan, artista, samahang sibiko, at iba pang organisasyon sa komunidad.
Nanawagan si Chairman Goitia sa lahat ng Pilipino na makiisa sa kilusang ito ng pag-asa at pagkilos.
“Ito ay higit pa sa isang pagtitipon. Ito ay pahayag ng pagkakaisa. Ito ay babala sa mga tiwali: wala na kayong lugar sa Bagong Pilipinas. Hindi na natin hahayaang ipagkanulo ang tiwala ng bayan. Kasama ang Pangulo, muling nating itatayo ang ating mga institusyon at ibabalik ang tiwala ng taumbayan sa pamahalaan.”
Sa pagtatapos, buong linaw na inulit ni Goitia ang kanyang paninindigan:
“Katuwang kami ng Pangulo, katuwang kami ng sambayanang Pilipino, at katuwang kami sa paglaban sa lahat ng anyo ng korapsyon. Ito ang laban ng ating henerasyon — at sama-sama, makakamtan natin ang tagumpay.”
Si Dr. Jose Antonio Goitia ay kinikilala bilang Chairman Emeritus ng apat na makabayan at sibikong organisasyon: ang Alyansa ng Bantay sa Kapayapaan at Demokrasya (ABKD), People’s Alliance for Democracy and Reforms (PADER), Liga Independencia Pilipinas (LIPI), at Filipinos Do Not Yield (FDNY) Movement.
