Philippines fishing boat rammed by unknown vessel in West Philippine Sea

MANILA, Philippines — A wooden Filipino fishing boat was allegedly rammed by an unidentified vessel in the vicinity of the Spratly Islands in the West Philippine Sea last Jan. 30.

Five of its fishermen were rescued by a passing Vietnamese ship 17 days after the incident. Three other fishermen are still missing.

Lt. Commander Michael John Encina, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) deputy spokesperson and Bataan Station commander, said that the wooden fishing boat FBCA Prince Elmo 2 was reportedly rammed by an unknown ship at around 8 p.m. of Jan. 30.

At around 3:15 p.m. of Feb. 16, the MV Dong An, a Vietnamese cargo vessel, was passing near the Spratly Islands and chanced upon five of the eight fishermen who were on the bow of Prince Elmo 2.

Atiko Trans Inc., the ship agent of Dong An, on Feb. 16 informed the PCG of the rescue and arranged a meet-up point.

At around 6 a.m. of Feb. 19, the Coast Guard’s BRP Boracay, carrying medical and nursing personnel, proceeded to Mariveles, Bataan which was the agreed rendezvous point for the transfer of the five fishermen from the Dong An to the PCG ship.

Encina said the five fishermen were immediately returned to Naic, Cavite and reunited with their families.

Based on initial information they gathered from the rescued fishermen, they left Naic last Jan. 17 and planned to engage in fishing activities in Lubang Island, Occidental Mindoro until Jan. 30.

But the strong winds caused by the amihan (northeast monsoon), which has been prevailing for weeks, reportedly dragged the Prince Elmo 2 to the WPS.

In the evening of Jan. 30, they were hit by an unidentified ship. There was reportedly no light onboard the boat because they did not want to scare away the fishes.

Encina said it was not certain that the ramming incident was intentional because some vessels go on autopilot and might not have noticed the small boat, which was estimated to be only around three gross tons.

“We have not yet had the opportunity to interview the fishermen because they floated at sea for half a month and this can be considered almost a miracle because they have survived. But while they are physically in good condition, they might have been traumatized by the experience and what happened to them they could not yet discuss in detail,” said Encina, adding they would also recommend that the five fishermen be checked for possible trauma.

Encina said they have already coordinated with the PCG Palawan Station to be on the lookout for the three missing fishermen and to send out a Notice to Mariners (NOTAM) to alert the other ships passing the area to extend assistance in case they see them.

He has also coordinated with the Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS) to check if they have kept the files for Jan. 30, to shed light on what took place in the Spratlys and hopefully identify the other vessel involved in the incident.

Diplomatic protest

The Philippines will protest what it described as the “unprofessional” and “reckless” actions of a Chinese naval helicopter toward a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resource (BFAR) aircraft over Panatag Shoal, the latest incident to stir tensions in the West Philippine Sea.

In a statement, the National Maritime Council (NMC) said a People’s Liberation Army-Navy Harbin Z-9 helicopter with tail number 68 flew and hovered as close as three meters above a BFAR Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX aircraft conducting a routine maritime domain awareness flight over the shoal last Feb. 18.

The council said the Philippine government was “deeply disturbed” by the “unprofessional and reckless flight maneuvers” of the Chinese naval helicopter.

The NMC said China’s “illegal, coercive and aggressive” behavior would not deter the Philippines from conducting its routine maritime operations in accordance with its sovereignty over the shoal.

“The Philippine government will also issue a formal diplomatic protest on this grave incident,” the council said, adding that the Philippines has “undeniable sovereignty and jurisdiction” over the shoal.

“The Philippines is committed to the rule of law and will always uphold international law. We urge China to respect international law, engage in responsible state behavior, pursue peaceful settlement of disputes, and refrain from actions that undermine regional peace and stability.”

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) also denounced the incident and called on China to stop its illegal and dangerous actions in the WPS.

“The AFP asserts that the PLAN’s illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions in the West Philippine Sea must stop,” AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said.

“We urge the PLA-Navy to respect Philippine sovereignty and comply with international law to promote rules-based order and regional peace,” she added.

The United States yesterday condemned the “dangerous” maneuvers of a Chinese navy helicopter that endangered the safety of a Philippine aircraft patrolling a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, its ambassador to Manila said on Wednesday.

In a post on X, Ambassador MaryKay Carlson said: “We condemn the dangerous maneuvers by a PLA Navy helicopter that endangered pilots and passengers on a Philippine air mission. We call on China to refrain from coercive actions and settle its disputes peacefully in accordance with international law.”

For his part, Akbayan party-list first nominee Chel Diokno condemned the harassment.

“That acts of China now are gravely dangerous. This latest harassment is not just an affront to Philippine sovereignty but also a direct threat to the safety of the country’s frontliners tasked with defending maritime territories,” Diokno said.

‘Huge presence’ of Chinese ships hit

Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo raised concerns over the “huge presence” of China Coast Guard vessels around Ayungin Shoal during a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 15.

Responding to a question on why the Philippines has yet to fulfill a supposed pledge to remove the BRP Sierra Madre from the shoal, the Philippines top diplomat belied such an agreement existed and instead stressed the huge presence of Chinese vessels in the area, despite its considerable distance from China.

“On the issue of Ayungin Shoal, we call it Ayungin Shoal in the Philippines or Second Thomas Shoal, there was never a promise to remove the ship,” Manalo said.

“But what we should really take into account is why there is such a huge presence of Chinese Coast Guard vessels around Ayungin Shoal. I mean that’s the question,” he added.

Manalo likewise emphasized that the 2016 Arbitral Award is legally binding and part of international law. “Our only hope is that one day China can abide by the arbitral ruling to certainly ease tensions,” Manalo said.

Fake news from Duterte

PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela on Tuesday denied former president Rodrigo Duterte’s claims that there were only three incidents where Philippine vessels clashed with those of Beijing over the West Philippine Sea from 2016 to 2022.

“One of the greatest challenges facing the Philippine government in the WPS, aside from China’s bullying, unlawful activities, and aggressive actions, is combating the spread of fake news and disinformation that obscures the true narrative of events in the West Philippine Sea,” Tarriela said before the Congress tri-committee investigating massive disinformation online. — Alexis Romero, Pia Lee-Brago, Michael Punongbayan, Silvia Massa, Delon Porcalla, Jose Rodel Clapano