Phl Navy to closely monitor Batanes waters amid Taiwan threat

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Navy (PN) will continue to monitor the country’s territorial waters in Batanes despite Taiwan’s declaration that it will launch for the first time a naval drill near the area if Manila will not officially apologize for the killing of one of its fishermen by Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel last week.

Aside from naval drill, Taiwan also threatened to stop the processing of Filipino job applicants to freeze Manila’s sending of workers to the island state.

“Aside from conducting our continuous monitoring [in the area] while waiting for the official result of the PCG investigation, the Navy is not in the position to speak on the issue but the Department of Foreign Affairs and Malacanang, as the matter involves international relations,” Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Gerald Fabic said.

From the Naval Station in the northernmost island province, the Navy will be keeping an eye on the Taiwanese naval activities.

“Our job is only confined to monitoring as we have been doing day out and day in. Any official statement over the issue should be coming from the DFA,” Fabic said.

The Department of National Defense, on the other hand, is also distancing itself from the issue, so as to avoid misunderstanding.

“To avoid any misunderstanding, we defer comments regarding the matter,” Defense spokesman Peter Paul Galvez said.

Taiwan is pressuring Manila to officially apologize for the killing of a 65-year-old fisherman during a sea-chase between a PCG-manned Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel and an intruding Taiwanese Fishing vessel near Balintang Channel on Thursday last week.

It also called on the Philippine government to bring to justice the coast guard personnel behind the incident that is now threatening good relations between the states and to compensate financially the victim's families.