Fishermen still barred from Scarborough Shoal, 10 years after ruling

Chinese vessels still kept Masinloc fishermen away from Scarborough Shoal, where a 2016 tribunal ruling was supposed to strengthen their claim to the water and the fish they once relied on for income. For families in this Philippine town, the gap between law and access has meant lost catches, shorter trips closer to shore, and more men taking on side work just to keep meals on the table.

Scarborough Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines and Huangyan Dao in China, sits about 200 kilometers off the Philippine coast and about 874 kilometers from Hainan, China’s nearest land mass. China has held de facto control of the shoal since the 2012 standoff, when a confrontation between Philippine and Chinese vessels ended with Beijing maintaining effective control. The Philippines filed its arbitration case in 2013, and the Permanent Court of Arbitration issued its award on July 12, 2016, rejecting China’s sweeping maritime claims but stopping short of deciding sovereignty over the shoal itself.

Fishermen from Masinloc once tried to fish at night, hoping Chinese vessels would not be there, but many no longer go at all because they fear harassment, water cannon blasts and cut anchor lines. The shoal’s rich fishing grounds have remained largely off limits, leaving the people closest to the dispute to absorb the economic damage.

In April 2026, China deployed a 352-meter floating barrier across the entrance to Scarborough Shoal, physically restricting access to the lagoon. The barrier was removed in June 2026.

Manila has continued to cast the award as central to its maritime policy. Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro called it an “unshakable permanent anchor” of the rules-based international order, while President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has said the South China Sea should not become an arena of conflict. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs has also treated the award as a core part of maritime statecraft. China still rejects the ruling.