Filipino fishermen say that China's actions at Scarborough Shoal are robbing them of a key source of income
Three Filipino fishermen died Monday morning after a foreign vessel rammed into a Filipino fishing mother boat. AFP

KEY POINTS

  • PCG Commandant Abu said the agency has written to the Marshall Islands' government
  • Oil tanker Pacific Anna was reportedly in the area when the incident took place
  • A PCG spokesperson said a deeper investigation is necessary to avoid making wrong "accusations"

A Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) official has said the maritime incident that took the lives of three Filipino fishermen early Monday had nothing to do with the territorial dispute in the South China Sea.

"It has nothing to do with the issue diyan sa (at the) West Philippine Sea," PCG Commandant Adm. Artemio Abu reportedly said.

CNN Philippines correspondent Paige Javier shared the comment on social media Thursday.

The coast guard, in a report Wednesday, said Pacific Anna, a crude oil tanker registered under the flag of the Marshall Islands, may have rammed into Philippine fishing boat (FFB) Dearyn on Monday.

The PCG official noted the PCG has written to the government of the Marshall Islands and the port state control of Singapore regarding the incident.

Three Philippine fishermen died early Monday morning after a foreign commercial vessel "rammed" into FFB Dearyn near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. The fishing mother boat, which had six crew members at the time, including the captain, capsized. Three people on board the boat and eight other crew members who were fishing in different locations survived.

The three fishermen were identified as Dexter Laudencia (boat captain), 47, and crew members Romeo Mejeco, 38, and Benedicto Olandria, 62.

The survivors took the dead bodies to Infanta in Pangasinan province, seeking assistance from PCG personnel stationed in the area.

PCG spokesperson Rear Adm. Armando Balilo said initial monitoring of maritime traffic at the time of the incident indicated Pacific Anna was in the area when FFB Dearyn submerged. However, a deeper investigation is necessary to avoid making wrong "accusations," Balilo added.

The survivors said there was "restricted visibility" at the time of the incident due to inclement weather. The crew members were "shocked" when there was a collision, Pangasinan Coast Guard station commander Alex Corpuz said in an interview Wednesday, adding that commercial vessels passing by the area move fast.

They used their service boats to leave the area and transport the dead bodies to Infanta. Corpuz said one of the 11 survivors had a minor foot injury.

Philippine President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. vowed his government would "hold accountable those who are responsible for this unfortunate maritime incident."

The tragic incident took place "off the vicinity waters" of Scarborough Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag Shoal in the Philippines), a disputed area that China calls Huangyan Dao, and is at the center of recent tensions between the two countries.

Read more