Wescom: China coast guard took debris Philippine Navy retrieved off Pag-asa
MANILA, Philippines — The Chinese Coast Guard "forcefully" took custody of what the military Western Command said is believed to be debris from a Chinese rocket found floating off Pagasa Island in Palawan, the Puerto Princesa headquartered Wecsom said.
In a statement sent to media, Wescom said it first received a report from Naval Station Emilio Liwanag on Kalayaan Island on November 20 that an unidentified object had been spotted via long-range camera drifting about 800 yards west of Pagasa Island in the West Philippine Sea.
Naval station personnel then proceeded to the area for inspection and observed the object drifting towards Pag-asa Islands Cay 1 sand bar due to strong waves and currents. Upon arrival, the team retrieved the floating object, tied it securely to their boat, and started towing it back to Kalayaan Island.
"However, as the [Naval Station Emilio Liwanag] Team was towing the floating object, they noticed that China Coast Guard vessel with Bow Number 5203 was approaching their location and subsequently blocked their pre-plotted course twice," the statement read.
RELATED: PhilSA: Debris recovered off Palawan and Mindoro likely from Chinese rocket
"The vessel then deployed its Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat [and] forcefully retrieved said floating object by cutting the towing line attached to the NSEL rubber boat."
The inflatable boat then returned to its main vessel, and the NSEL Team decided to return to Pagasa Island. No member of the NSEL Team was injured.
The Philippine Space Agency earlier this month said similar debris recovered in waters off Palawan and Mindoro islands were likely from a Chinese Long March 5B rocket launched in late October. PhilSA has also been calling on "spacefaring nations must abide by the protocols and mechanisms enshrined in the UN Outer Space Treaty, encourage close coordination, and timely resolution of issues such as space debris mitigation."
West Philippine Sea incidents
The incident is the latests between Beijing and Manila in a simmering dispute in the South China Sea, part of which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea.
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. earlier called for the completion of a code of conduct among parties with claims to the strategic waterway.
So far in 2022, the Philippine Coast Guard has reported at least four incidents of China Coast Guard vessels conducting close-distance maneuvering while Philippine vessels were on maritime patrol. It called these incidents a clear violation of the 1972 International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea.
At one point in 2021, the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs was filing daily diplomatic protests "against the incessant deployment, prolonged presence, and illegal activities of Chinese maritime assets and fishing vessels in the vicinity of the Pag-asa islands" which numbered in the hundreds.
The DFA said in a statement that it is "aware of the incident and awaits detailed reports from maritime law enforcement agencies," saying also that a thorough review will be conducted."
The Philippine Coast Guard directed inquires on the incident to the Wescom. — with a report from Kaycee Valmonte
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