THE fisherfolk of Sitio Talisay in Barangay Camiing, Cabangan town, are now building new homes following the demolition of their seaside abode last April. Headline Zambales visited them recently and while some of them have yet to complete construction of their new houses, the general feeling is that of relief from what they described as a traumatic experience. And, yes, hope. They say they are now learning to stand on their own again — for the menfolk to fish, for the kids to go to school again, for the women to care for a household once more — now that they have a place that they can call their own.

That just shows how important one’s home is: the security it gives, the shelter from the storm, the peace of mind, the comfort at the end of a hard day…

Other fisherfolk in Zambales, however, are not as lucky. Or attended to, for that matter. These are the fishermen of Bajo de Masinloc, who are still reeling from the trauma of losing their traditional fishing grounds to Chinese encroachment several years back. They have been petitioning the government for a solution to this problem, but no clear answer is yet in sight. In Duterte’s time, they tried bilateral talks with the Chinese and ended up with just promises (of railroads and other investments) and more Chinese presence in the West Philippine Sea. In the wake of the recent POGO findings, we’d say the Chinese even gained inland entry! Now, Mr. Marcos Jr. appears to be trying a new tack—multinational diplomatic pressure. In his third SONA, the President also assured us that his administration won’t yield even an inch of WPS. “Ito ay atin” became his (borrowed) rallying cry.

But Bajo fishers say they found no comfort from those words. Why? Because West Philippine Sea is not Bajo de Masinloc. WPS, the President said, is not a figment of the imagination. Sure, but it remains a symbolic concept without the specifics of effective action. There were welcome gestures, yes, like the Philippine Coast Guard accompanying fishing vessels out in the open sea, watching over them. Or like the civilian-led regatta that brought food and fuel to Filipino fishermen fishing out there, risking their life and limb amid the presence of China’s militia fleet. But the truth is, they never got close, really close, to Bajo de Masinloc. Not a chance.

Local fishers understand that this problem is complicated. National security, global trade, regional cooperation, military expansionism, and other things fisherfolk can’t really care about, all play a factor and make for no easy resolution. Some people even tell local fishers to “Go fish in some parts of the WPS, if you can’t do it in the Bajo.” But that is like telling them to jump over the fence and get into the neighbor’s yard. That is exactly what the Chinese has been doing! No, local fishers know about boundaries, and they know that Bajo de Masinloc is their territory, their traditional fishing ground, their own place. And they have lost it to the Chinese years ago. For them, storms are coming and they cannot find shelter. 