Navy probes origin of underwater drone found in Masbate
MANILA, Philippines —The Armed Forces of the Philippines is investigating the "origin and purpose" of an underwater drone with Chinese markings discovered in the country's sovereign waters off Masbate earlier this week.
Three fishermen found the device near the coast of Barangay Iniwaran in San Pascual, Masbate, about nine kilometers from the town proper, on December 30. They immediately turned it over to barangay officials, who alerted the municipal police.
The six-foot drone, made of PVC and metal and marked "HY-119," was reportedly deactivated when discovered. Philippine National Police Regional Office 5 Director General PBGen. Andre Dizon said investigators suspect it is a Chinese underwater navigation and communication system, based on its appearance.
AFP spokesperson Col. Xerxes Trinidad confirmed the police handed the remotely operated submersible drone to the Philippine Navy for further inspection.
"The Navy is currently conducting further investigation to determine its origin and purpose," he said in a statement on Thursday, January 2.
Authorities have not determined how long the drone had been in Philippine waters and where it was originally deployed.
Several countries, including China and the United States, have steadily ramped up their range of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) — underwater vehicles that can operate without a human occupant. These are used for maritime research, exploration and surveillance.
Expanding surveillance. Two maritime security experts said the drone may have been deployed to inspect the Philippines' underwater terrain for military purposes, including for China's possible deployment of submarines in Philippine waters.
"If this is a Chinese drone, as seems likely, it indicates a troubling level of Chinese interest in the Philippines' internal archipelagic waters," Ray Powell, director of SeaLight, told Philstar.com in a message.
Powell noted that if the drone was conducting seabed mapping operations, it could suggest preparation for possible submarine deployments. "[It] could mean that China intends to deploy submarines into Philippine waters, or perhaps wants to have that option if conflict breaks out. Regardless, this incident highlights the importance for a maritime nation to develop a high level of undersea domain awareness," he said.
International studies professor Renato de Castro added that China's surveillance activities come amid several developments that have agitated Beijing. This includes the expansion of Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites in the Philippines in 2023, and the Philippine government's recent decision to retain the United States' Typhon missiles, which are capable of reaching mainland China from northern Luzon.
"[The drone] is just one aspect. I can imagine they even use aerial drones to monitor us," De Castro said in mixed Filipino and English in an interview with Radyo DZBB.
The discovery of the drone in Bicol could also point to China's interest in monitoring potential US military movements from Hawaii or Guam, which is located east of the Philippines, De Castro added.
Trinidad thanked the fishermen for reporting their discovery of the drone. "This incident underscores the importance of collaboration with local fisherfolk and maritime stakeholders. We commend their vigilance and continued support in reporting suspicious activities," Trinidad added.
The AFP vowed to continue protecting the country's maritime domain "with all necessary resources mobilized to address similar and other situations with the utmost diligence."
External defense. Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro ordered the AFP last year to operationalize its "comprehensive archipelagic defense concept" — the government's official term for its strategy aimed at protecting the Philippines' vast maritime territory and 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
The Navy admitted in December 2023 that it only had "modest" to "minimal" capabilities to detect underwater threats in Philippine waters. At the time, it had recently reported the presence of a Russian Kilo-class submarine in the waters off Occidental Mindoro, which was passing through the Philippines' EEZ after joining Malaysia's sea drills.
It was the first time that the Navy had detected the Russian submarine in the Philippines' EEZ.
Throughout 2024, Chinese vessels regularly operated within the Philippines' EEZ, with the Philippine Coast Guard documenting multiple instances of harassment against Philippine vessels conducting routine patrols and resupply missions, particularly around Ayungin and Escoda Shoal.
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