No foreign country has contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to assert ownership of the submersible drone recently discovered off the coast of Masbate.

“We have not received any information, as expected, from any foreign state claiming ownership of the submersible drone,” DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega on Wednesday told the Senate Special Committee on Maritime and Admiralty Zones investigating the discovery of the drone.

Asked by Senate Deputy Majority Leader Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito if the Philippines had asked China about the drone, De Vega said the government did not communicate with China through the DFA.

He also denied claims China had asked the Philippines to return the drone that was found by fishermen off Barangay Inawaran in San Pascual, Masbate earlier this year.

The fishermen reported finding the six-foot drone, believed to be of Chinese origin, floating vertically at sea. The drone appeared to be constructed of PVC and metal.

Diplomatic protest

Citing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), De Vega said that if the drone is proven to be owned by China, the Philippine government will file a diplomatic protest.

“Under Article 245 of UNCLOS, the expressed consent of the coastal state is needed for a foreign country to conduct marine scientific research in its territorial sea,” he said.

“It is a violation so we’re going to protest,” he added.

National security matter

Meanwhile, the Department of National Defense (DND) said the submersible was a multiple use data-gathering drone.

Citing open sources, DND Undersecretary for Strategic Assessment and Planning Ignacio Madriaga said the information the drone gathers has commercial, scientific and military uses considering the strategic location of the Philippines.

“Any country that can gather hydrographic information would gain a significant advantage. Specifically, based on open sources, this equipment gathers data such as salinity, temperature, and depth,” Madriaga told the Senate panel.

He continued: “It can conduct a mapping of the subsurface. All of this is important for any country with subsurface warfare capabilities.”

On the part of the DND, Madriaga said the department viewed the discovery of the submersible drone as a national security matter.

“As I said, this is for data gathering. All the data that can be collected can be considered intelligence, and this information can have multiple uses for military purposes,” he said.

“As far as the defense department is concerned, we are treating it as a national security matter. Whether it is unarmed or uncrewed, we consider it a violation of our territorial rights,” he added.