Bato eyes Senate probe on boat ramming incident off Pangasinan

Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa on Friday said he is planning to file a resolution in relation to the recent ramming incident between a Filipino boat and a foreign vessel off Pangasinan.

In a phone interview with reporters, Dela Rosa said that a thorough investigation would prevent any geopolitical implications concerning an incident that resulted in the death of three Filipino fishermen.

"We will file a resolution to investigate who is really responsible for this. It's a very unfortunate incident because you know fishermen went there for a living right and they ended up dying. It has to be investigated thoroughly by our authorities," he said.

Dela Rosa lamented that a lot of people are "skeptical" over the issue, hence, the need for an investigation.

"We don't know much about the registry of the ship. There may be those who would think that it was done on purpose," he added.

Despite the Philippine Coast Guard stating that the fatal ramming incident was an "accident," Dela Rosa said all possibilities should be looked into "to determine everything."

"We have to leave no stone unturned sa pag-conduct ng investigation. So, kailangan talagang ma-determine 'yan baka mamaya nga di natin alam (so we really need to determine the facts surrounding the incident)," he said.

"I hope it was a plain accident. So that walang ibang (there's no other) political or geopolitical implications. I hope, really," he added.