MANILA, Philippines — Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday urged the government not to downplay the recent maritime collision between a Filipino fishing boat and a foreign cargo ship on Philippine waters.
"Fourteen of our Filipino fishermen are missing. Our priority should be to find them, fully investigate, and not to further protect China's interests," Hontiveros said.
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Following reports of the collision between a Hong Kong-flagged cargo vessel MV Vienna Wood and the now-missing 12 Filipino fishermen and two passengers aboard fishing boat FV Liberty 5, Malacañang on Monday said the incident was "just a collision" that would not affect Philippine-Chinese relations.
Hontiveros, however, called the incident a hit-and-run — echoing the sentiments of fisherfolk group Pamalakaya who on Monday said the foreign cargo ship should have helped those aboard the fishing boat.
"The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and other similar treaties clearly mandate that after a collision, ships must render assistance to the other ship and its crew and passengers. What happened was that they collided with our countrymen and left them there with no mercy," the senator said in a mix of Filipino and English.
The Filipino fishing boat came from Cagayan de Tawi-Tawi and was on its way to Navotas fish port when the incident happened. The foreign vessel, meanwhile, departed from Subic, Zambales going to Australia.
The Philippine Coast Guard launched a search operation after receiving a distress call from the captain of MV Vienna Wood about the collision on Sunday.
The PCG at 7:30 a.m. on Monday deployed utility aircraft BN Islander and helicopter Airbus H145 for the operations. PCG patrol boat BRP Boracay is also searching the area off Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro.
As of this writing, there is no indication that anyone onboard the Filipino ship has been found.
"We shouldn't soft-pedal these incidents when we know this is not the first time that Chinese vessels have put Filipinos in danger," Hontiveros said.
Repercussions of downplaying the Recto Bank incident
Around this time last year, a Chinese vessel rammed into a Filipino fishing boat, leaving 22 fishermen floating at sea for hours in the vicinity of Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea.
Vietnamese fishermen rescued the 22 Filipino crew members of fishing boat Gem-Ver. While the owner of the Chinese ship had apologized for the collision, no cases have been filed.
President Rodrigo Duterte downplayed the incident, calling it a "little maritime accident".
Pamalakaya on Monday linked the chief executive's perceived inaction on the Recto Bank incident to what it said was an "apparent disregard by foreign vessels [for] the lives and safety of Filipino fisherfolks."
Former Associate Justice Antonio Carpio previously criticized the president for having a policy of appeasement towards China, an assertion that Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. rejected.
Hontiveros highlighted that, even amid the COVID-19 crisis, China has been making moves to bolster its military presence in parts of Philippine territorial waters.
The senator urged the government to "make China accountable for its continuing abuses, including the building of illegal 'stations' in the West Philippine Sea, particularly at the Zamora and Kagitingan Reefs, in the middle of the pandemic."
She added that "the destruction that China has wrought on the Philippines' reef ecosystems has amounted to P200 billion worth of damages."
Hontiveros also called on the PCG to "to leave no water or land unchecked in their search, rescue, and investigation."
"I appeal to the government to commit that we will be able to return these Filipino fishermen to their families as soon as possible...let's prioritize the protection and safety of Filipinos and our fisherfolk before the feelings of China," she said in a mix of Filipino and English.