SUMMARY
MANILA, Philippines – A coalition of civic organizations, including political, youth, and farmer and fishing groups, pushed through with a civilian mission to Scarborough or Panatag Shoal in the West Philippine Sea on Wednesday, May 15.
The group will sail towards the “general vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc,” a feature just over 120 nautical miles off the coast of Zambales province in mainland Luzon.
Five wooden-hulled commercial fishing ships, as well as 100 fishing boats, left Zambales in the early morning of May 15. The group first dropped “symbolic” buoys around 14 nautical miles from the Zambales coast, or just beyond the country’s 12-nautical-mile territorial sea area.
By the 16th, the convoy is expected to reach the general vicinity of the shoal, where they’ll be handing…