Filipino fishing boat rammed at Spratlys, culprit still unidentified
(FILES) This photo taken on 20 September 2023 shows a Philippine fisherman aboard his outrigger boat sailing past a Chinese coast guard ship near the Chinese-controlled Scarborough Shoal in waters of the disputed South China Sea. China, which claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, snatched control of Scarborough Shoal from the Philippines in 2012. Since then, it has deployed coast guard and other vessels to block or restrict access to the fishing ground that has been tapped by generations of Filipinos. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)
A Filipino fishing boat was reportedly rammed in the vicinity of Spratlys Island in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) but the culprit remains unidentified.
On Thursday, the incident was condemned by Senator Francis Tolentino who noted that the involved fishermen were residents of Naic, Cavite.
According to the senator, “five of eight fishermen from the damaged boat survived after 17 days at sea” while the three others are still missing.
The Philippine Coast Guard said are still identifying and tracking down the origin of the foreign vessel that collided with the fishermen.
The waters off the Spratlys are the subject of territorial disputes between China and the Philippines.
“I hope our authorities can find them. I also support the efforts of the PCG to track down the culprit, and for the government to take appropriate actions,” Tolentino said, as he cited similar incidents that have occurred in the past.
In July last year, a Filipino fishing boat was implicated in a hit-and-run incident with a foreign vessel in Subic, Zambales. One of the victims in this incident is still missing.
In October 2023, a foreign oil tanker rammed with a fishing boat off the Panatag shoal, killing three Filipino fishermen.
Tolentino lamented the passage of the Archipelagic Sea Lanes Law was “precisely pushed to prevent such incidents.”
The Republic Act 12065 designates sea lanes, which would serve as ‘expressways’ for foreign vessels passing through our archipelagic waters, thereby ensuring the safety of Filipino fishermen out at sea.