A Chinese fishing vessel hit a Filipino boat in waters off the Reed Bank or Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Wednesday.
In a statement, Lorenzana denounced the Chinese vessel for leaving the scene immediately after the collision leaving the Filipino crew at sea.
"A collision between a Chinese and Filipino vessel (FB Gimber1) was reported by Filipino fishermen near the Recto Bank in the West Philippine on the evening of June 9, 2019. The collision sank the Filipino vessel," Lorenzana said.
"We denounce the actions of the Chinese fishing vessel for immediately leaving the incident scene abandoning the 22 Filipino crewmen to the mercy of the elements," he added.
Lorenzana called for a formal investigation and diplomatic measures to prevent a similar incident involving Philippine and Chinese boats.
"We condemn in the strongest terms the cowardly action of the Chinese fishing vessel and its crew for abandoning the Filipino crew. This is not the expected action from a responsible and friendly people," Lorenzana said.
"We call for the conduct of a formal investigation on the matter and for diplomatic steps be taken to prevent a repeat of this incident," he added.
Lorenzana said the crew of a Vietnamese fishing vessel, which happened to be in the area when the incident happened, came to the aid of the Filipinos.
All 22 Filipino crew were brought to safety in coordination with the Navy's BRP Ramon Alcaraz, which was conducting a routine maritime patrol in the area.
“We thank the captain and crew of Vietnamese vessel for saving the lives of the 22 Filipino crew,” Lorenzana said.
The Reed Bank or Recto Bank, which is near Palawan, is well within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.
An 2016 arbitral ruling invalidated China's excessive claims in the South China Sea and upheld the Philippines' exclusive economic zone under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Yep, things are escalating, and as a Pinoy long pissed off at Chinese "business" with our territories, as well as our government playing the lapdog and effectively conceding more and more of our share of said territories in return for funding public works projects, I can't help but be gratified that people in power are finally reacting.
You know shit got real when -- according to recent reports -- Rody Duterte, a figure of otherwise remarkable reticence with regards to China and its claim to nearly all of the south China sea, was reported to be furiously angry over this incident. More than that -- that our Defense Secretary was compelled to release a strong statement, and our presidential spokesperson had to come and speak out about the government's displeasure at this maritime hit-and-run.
You also know shit's getting real when the Chinese foreign minister issued its own statement, noting that while the Chinese government is investigating what it calls an "accidental" collision (you haven't started yet, yet you frame it that way! how very convenient!), it was "irresponsible" for the Philippines to "politicize" the incident.
I dunno, I'm actually (probably illogically) hopeful this can mean something good, even in the short run.
Fire away.
