China rocket debris found in Bataan

MANILA, Philippines — Suspected debris from a Chinese spacecraft was retrieved in the waters off Morong town in Bataan, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported.

Fisherman Alvin Gerance Menez found the “huge metal object floating in the open sea approximately 10 miles off Napot Point, Barangay Nagbalayong” in Morong last June 5, the PCG said in an advisory yesterday.

Photos shared by the PCG showed the debris turned upside down, with the exposed part showing some Chinese text.

He and other fishermen “towed the metal object using their motorized fishing bancas all the way until they reached the shoreline at Sitio Samuyao, Barangay Mabayo” in Morong, it added.

The metal debris is currently under the custody of the PCG’s station in Limay, Bataan.

During the state-run Laging Handa media briefing yesterday, PCG spokesman Rear Admiral Armand Balilo said the debris could have come from “a spacecraft of China.”

The PCG would get in touch with the Chinese embassy, as well as the Philippine Space Agency, for the retrieval of the metal wreckage.

PCG-West Philippine Sea spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela tweeted that the debris may have come from the Chinese automated cargo aircraft Tiangzhou.

“A local fisherman in Morong, Bataan discovered wreckage that closely resembled the top section of the Tiangzhou,” Tarriela said.

The Tiangzhou spacecraft is operated by the China National Space Administration. It can be used to resupply its space station.

Asked for comment about President Marcos’ statement that Philippines-China relations remain strong, Balilo said the PCG would uphold diplomacy and maintain friendly relations with China amid disputes in the West Philippine Sea. — Evelyn Macairan