Beached on a grass bank overlooking the South China Sea, a 30-foot (9-meter) trawler named "Marvin" has sat idle since China's coast guard began driving away Philippine fishermen after a fierce standoff four years ago.

Its 10-man crew once made their living off the abundant fish stocks of the disputed Scarborough Shoal some 124 nautical miles (230 km) away. But since Beijing's patrol boats moved in, the fishermen of the west coast town of Masinloc said they had been forced to do odd jobs ashore, or become motorcycle taxi drivers.

The crews yearn to get back into their boats and hope that Monday's Philippine election will bring a new president bold enough to stand up to China's assertiveness in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.