1 dead in ramming of Phl fishing boat

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines alleged yesterday that a Chinese vessel accidentally rammed a local fishing boat north of the disputed Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, killing one and leaving four others missing.

The fishing boat set out from the northern coastal town of Bolinao in Pangasinan last Monday and was reported to have sunk two days later, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) executive director Benito Ramos said.

“Of the eight fishermen aboard, four were plucked out of sea only yesterday (Saturday), but one of them died in the hospital,” Ramos said. “Four others are still missing.”

The rescued fishermen told authorities they believed the vessel that collided with their boat was Chinese, Ramos said, though this could not be independently verified.

Chinese embassy officials were not available for comment yesterday.

The motorized fishing boat AXL John was anchored to a payaw, or fish sanctuary, when it was rammed by the unidentified vessel.

No other details could be provided on the vessel, which left the area after the incident.

Ramos said four of the eight fishermen were rescued by police personnel from Magsingal, Ilocos Sur.

Rescued were Edimio Balmores, 40; Herman Balmores, 51; Celino Damian, 32; and a certain Christopher, who died later at a local hospital.

Still missing are Fred Celino, Arnold Garcia, Domy de los Santos and Amante Resonable.

Malacañang, however, said they are not aware that Chinese vessels have recently been frequenting areas near Panatag Shoal, which is about 200 nautical miles southwest of Bolinao where the ramming incident reportedly took place.

“We will leave it up to the (Philippine) Coast Guard to make any reports,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said.

Valte added the government would “double check that particular piece of information.”

Ramos said the incident occurred north of Panatag Shoal where the Philippines and China have been engaged in a tense standoff since April.

“It’s north of Panatag, though we could not determine how far in terms of distance or nautical miles,” he said.

President Aquino earlier this month ordered two Philippine ships to pull out from the shoal during bad weather, a move that the Chinese said calmed tensions in the area.

While China said it would also ask its fishermen to leave the area, it stressed it had no intention of pulling out its bigger ships from there.

Last week, Aquino said the government will be re-deploying ships if Chinese vessels remain in the area.

“The guidelines are very clear,” Aquino said. 

“If there are vessels that are not ours, we have to send back our vessels. I have ordered them back (to port) because of the weather condition. 

“If there’s a presence in our territorial waters, then we will redeploy. But if there is no other presence or other vessels that might impinge on our sovereignty, there’s no need to deploy,” he clarified.

As of last week, there were still seven Chinese ships at the shoal, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

The dispute erupted in April after Chinese government vessels blocked Philippine authorities from arresting Chinese fishermen who were caught poaching and illegally harvesting endangered marine species like giant coral and sharks near the shoal.

Since then, both countries have maintained ships there to press their respective claims to the area.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, even waters close to the coasts of neighboring countries.

The Philippines says the shoal is well within its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.

The shoal sits about 230 kilometers (124 nautical miles) off Masinloc town in Zambales. The nearest major Chinese landmass is 1,200 kilometers northwest of the shoal, according to Philippine Navy maps. – Delon Porcalla