For 52-year-old Rolando Fuentes, the sea was once a dependable source of livelihood for his family in Masinloc, Zambales. That changed five years ago when a terrifying encounter with Chinese naval militia—complete with water cannons and forced retreat—severed his access to the traditional fishing grounds of Scarborough Shoal. The incident left him traumatized, saddled with debt, and unemployed after his boat owner halted operations. Fuentes is just one of many; local reports indicate that Chinese aggression in the area has pushed approximately 15,000 families in Zambales alone into poverty, as they are repeatedly harassed or blocked from waters that sit well within the Philippines' 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone.

While a 2016 international tribunal ruling invalidated China’s expansive maritime claims, the reality on the water remains starkly different. Professor Roland Simbulan of the Center for People Empowerment in Governance emphasizes that while Beijing must respect the arbitral award, the Philippines must be wary of becoming a pawn in a larger geopolitical chess match between superpowers. He argues that relying on foreign military interventions may only invite further instability. Instead, Simbulan suggests that the path forward lies in strengthening the national economy to build a credible, independent defense capability, ensuring the Philippines remains a proponent of regional peace rather than a staging ground for escalating global conflict.