The Philippine Coast Guard on Thursday clarified that the sea mishap involving the Marshall Islands-flagged vessel Pacific Anna and Filipino fishing boat FFB Dearyn last Monday was not intentional but was due to the poor visibility in the area.

PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Commodore Jay Tarriela, said the mishap actually happened 180 nautical miles from the municipality of Agno, Pangasinan, and not in the contested waters of Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal.

"According to the initial information that we have right now, we can say that this was not intentional. At the same time, with the testimony of the surviving fishermen, they said that when it happened, the area was very dark and the weather was bad, so there is a possibility that they were not seen," Tarriela said.

Three Filipino fishermen died when the crude oil tanker Pacific Anna rammed the Dearyn at around 4 a.m. on 2 October, while 11 fishermen survived and were able to return to their homes in Zambales.

Tarriela maintained that a Chinese vessel did not perpetrate the incident, contrary to rumors that proliferated on social media on Wednesday.

"This was a pure accident. It did not happen in the immediate vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc. It was too far from Bajo de Masinloc. At the same time, the boat was not deliberately rammed as was speculated by some. It was not the Chinese Coast Guard or Chinese maritime militia," Tarriela said.

The Pacific Anna had come from Korea and was bound for Singapore when the accident happened. Tarriela said they had notified Singapore's port state control authority about the incident.

Regarding the vessel's liabilities, he said the Philippine government will still assert its claims to the owner of the foreign vessel through the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Accountability

The families of the three fishermen killed are demanding accountability from the tanker's owner.

Albert Olandria, the son of one of the victims, Benedicto Olandria, called on the government to seek out the tanker and force its officers and crew to account for the fatal incident.

Olandria demanded justice for his father and the two other fishermen killed in the incident, Dexter Laudencia and Romeo Laudencia Mejico Jr.

The wake for the three victims is being held at the Golden Star Funeral Homes in Barangay Calapandayan in this town.

Moored to a payao or an anchored fishing float, the mother boat sank, resulting in the death of the three fishermen, including the boat captain, Laudencia.

Eleven crewmembers survived and used their service boats to leave the vicinity and transport the bodies of the victims to Barangay Cato in Infanta, Pangasinan.

Johnny Manlolo, 40, who was among the survivors, recounted their ordeal to the local press. A resident of Barangay Cawag, Manlolo said they had untethered the mother boat from the service boat when it rained hard.

As his fellow fishermen ran towards the boat's cabin, Manlolo said he felt their boat being dragged by a large vessel. He said he was shocked to see the tanker that he could not move, holding on to the mast for dear life as the tanker rammed their boat.