The Congressmen hearing the plight of the fishermen had no answers to their concerns about:
1) Why there is a rising number of Vietnamese fishing vessels around Scarborough Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc).
2) Why Chinese Coast Guards have no issues with Vietnamese fishing vessels
3) Why Philippine Coast Guards seem to not mind about rising Vietnamese fishing vessels
The answer in 1 is the fact that the 2016 South China Sea arbitration decision declared that Bajo de Masinloc is traditional fishing grounds of Chinese, Vietnamese, and Filipino fishermen.
The likely answer to #2 is that China and Vietnam have deepening cooperation in the South China Sea, specially among their coast guards. There have been a series of confidence building measures between the two countries and series of bilateral consultations on maritime issues.
The likely answer to #3 is: Battling Vietnam isn't something pleasing to the United States.
Overall, this situation owes to the wrong policy maneuvers of BBM to the detriment of Filipino fishermen.
1) Why there is a rising number of Vietnamese fishing vessels around Scarborough Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc).
2) Why Chinese Coast Guards have no issues with Vietnamese fishing vessels
3) Why Philippine Coast Guards seem to not mind about rising Vietnamese fishing vessels
The answer in 1 is the fact that the 2016 South China Sea arbitration decision declared that Bajo de Masinloc is traditional fishing grounds of Chinese, Vietnamese, and Filipino fishermen.
The likely answer to #2 is that China and Vietnam have deepening cooperation in the South China Sea, specially among their coast guards. There have been a series of confidence building measures between the two countries and series of bilateral consultations on maritime issues.
The likely answer to #3 is: Battling Vietnam isn't something pleasing to the United States.
Overall, this situation owes to the wrong policy maneuvers of BBM to the detriment of Filipino fishermen.