Fact Check: Duterte makes false claims about fish catch in West Philippine Sea

CLAIM: The disputed West Philippine Sea is “just water” where the fish catch is small

RATING: FALSE

In his television program “Gikan sa Masa, para sa Masa”, former president Rodrigo Duterte falsely claimed that the West Philippine Sea (WPS) was ‘just water’ and that the catch was small for Filipino fishermen there.

The WPS is not just a body of water. Based on a primer published by the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, within the WPS lies the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) and Bajo de Masinloc – both holding significant importance to the country’s food and energy security.

According to Eduardo Gongona, director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), over 300,000 metric tons of fish are harvested in the WPS annually, representing about 7% of the country’s fisheries output.

The KIG’s reef area hosts breeding grounds and shelter for marine organisms and it is also known to have petroleum reserves as well as mineral deposits.

Former Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources head Asis Perez, now the senior legal adviser of Tanggol Kalikasan, said that while the WPS constitutes only 2.5% of the world’s water, 12% of the world’s annual fish catch comes from the WPS.

Duterte uttered the false claims in the Nov. 6 episode of his two-and-a-half-hour show. The YouTube stream of his TV show has gained more than 99,000 views and over 800 comments as of writing. Roselyn Dapiton

PressOne.PH is a verified signatory of the Code of Principles of the International Fact -Checking Network (IFCN) at Poynter. The code of principles of the International Fact-Checking Network is a series of commitments organizations abide by to promote excellence in fact-checking. We believe nonpartisan and transparent fact-checking can be a powerful instrument of accountability journalism..

PressOne.PH believes that fact-checking is essential to combating misinformation and disinformation, and in informing and educating citizens and voters. Read more of PressOne.PH’s Fact-Checking Policy by clicking here.

The public is welcome to send feedback or requests for fact-checks at factcheck@pressone.ph.

FACT CHECK: Claim that late ex-president Cory Aquino was more hostile to journalists compared with Duterte and Marcos needs context

In a post on X, user Zen Nepomuceno left key details missing when they implied that the late ex-president Cory Aquino was more hostile to the press compared with former president Rodrigo Duterte and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr..