Jeffrey Illad comes from a long line of fishermen. Their family, one of many in a fishing village in the town of Masinloc in Zambales that depend solely on the ocean to eke out a meager living.  

He learned how to fish from his father, and it’s a livelihood he intends to pass on to his children.

For generations, their fishing ground has always been 240 kilometers away from their coast in what they know to be “Kalburo”— where marine life is teeming and the waters are both familiar and familial.  

Officially called the Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc, the atoll has been a place of refuge from the storms for the likes of Jeffrey who sail in rickety ships with rudimentary equipment, and a source of livelihood providing them with abundant catch after their weeks-long trip at sea. 

But more recently, the latest catch is not of livelihood but of geo-political tensions.  Scarborough shoal is part of an area that is contested and where tensions between governments have simmered in the last decade. 

China claims it is part of the South China Sea and has reinforced its presence in the area. 

The Philippines meanwhile has maintained and defended its rights over the area. Its allies, including the United States, have given their support.

In the last few years, confrontations in the area have increased. And at the center of the potential flashpoint are Filipino fishermen like Jeffrey who continue to set sail and risk safety in the name of livelihood and country.

But as tensions escalate, Jeffrey wonders if they can continue doing so. For the fishermen of Masinloc, China is like a thorn on their side, one they can only pray to be pulled out before it festers.

On the 8th year of the arbitral ruling favoring the Philippines claims over China in the South China Sea, ABS-CBN News Chief of Reporters Jeff Canoy sails with the fishermen of Zambales, boards a US Navy ship in the West Philippine Sea and travels to the United States to piece together the complex issues threatening the country’s security.