Tag: Recto Bank incident

Panelo: Duterte has accepted China’s offer for joint probe into Recto Bank incident

(Eagle News)–President Rodrigo Duterte has accepted China’s offer for a Philippines -China joint investigation into the Recto Bank incident, the Palace said on Saturday, June 21. Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the President “wants the creation of a joint investigating committee that shall be composed of three groups of highly qualified and competent individuals, with Philippines and China having one representative each, and a third member coming from a neutral party.” Panelo said having separate […]

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Panelo hits Lacson’s comment presidential spokesperson was acting like China’s defense counsel

(Eagle News) — Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo on Friday, June 21, hit Senator Panfilo Lacson’s comment he was acting like the “defense counsel” of China when he doubted the testimony of some of the fishermen on board the Filipino fishing boat that figured in the allision with a Chinese vessel. “The perception that my pointing out of certain circumstances surrounding the Reed Bank incident previously unknown to us, creates the impression that I’m acting as […]

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Locsin: No joint PHL-China probe into Recto Bank incident

“Palace supports me,” Foreign Affairs secretary says (Eagle News) — There will be no joint Philippines-China investigation into the Recto Bank incident. This was the remark of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., a day after Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said President Rodrigo Duterte welcomed China’s proposal for the same. “China and Philippines will conduct their respective investigations,” Locsin said in a Tweet. According to the Foreign Affairs secretary, in the first place, the matter […]

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Gordon to gov’t officials: Leave the talking about the Recto Bank incident to DFA, DND

(Eagle News) — Leave the talking to the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of National Defense. Senator Richard Gordon had this to say to government officials, after a Chinese vessel and a Filipino fishing boat figured in an allision near Recto Bank on June 13, and the 22 Filipino crew members, mostly fishermen, abandoned at sea. According to Gordon, too many officials speaking, especially if they are not in sync with one another, […]

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Gordon: Issue in Recto Bank incident is that people are not supposed to be abandoned at sea

(Eagle News) — For Senator Richard Gordon, the issue is not whether or not the hitting by a Chinese vessel of a Filipino fishing boat near Recto Bank was accidental. According to Gordon, “the issue is people are not supposed to be abandoned at sea,” which means Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang, for him, missed the point. “The crux of the matter is you left the fishermen in peril of the sea. Under the […]

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No meeting between Duterte, and captain, cook of Filipino fishing vessel in Recto Bank incident

(Eagle News)–The captain and the cook of the fishing boat that was sunk upon collision with a Chinese vessel in the West Philippine Sea on June 9 will not push through with a meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, June 17. Captain Jonel Insigne is reportedly too traumatized to travel to Manila from Occidental Mindoro for the meeting. Later in the day, Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol said  cook Richard Blasa would also not make […]

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Palace says Duterte called for special Cabinet meeting to discuss Recto Bank incident; meeting was later cancelled, Palace adds

(Eagle News)–President Rodrigo Duterte  called for a special Cabinet meeting on Monday, June 17, to discuss the Recto Bank incident but later canceled it, the Palace said. The meeting would have taken place days after the June 9 incident was announced by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. The Palace has condemned the incident, which saw a Chinese vessel hitting a Filipino fishing boat that ended up sinking. Lorenzana said the Chinese vessel left the 22 Filipino […]

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Pimentel: Rescue of people in distress at sea an “obligation” under int’l maritime law, a “humanitarian duty”

(Eagle News)–Senator Koko Pimentel condemned what he said was the act of abandonment by a Chinese vessel of 22 Filipino fishermen whose boat was sinking after a collision with the former. In a statement, Pimentel said  under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), ” there is a general obligation to proceed to the assistance of ships in distress.” “No matter who was at fault, the crew of a sinking ship […]

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Chinese embassy: No hit-and-run incident near Recto Bank

Adds Chinese vessel was “besieged” by Filipino fishing boats while “berthed” in area (Eagle News)–The Chinese embassy has admitted it was a Chinese boat that hit a Filipino fishing boat near Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea on June 9. But in a statement, the embassy said the Chinese fishing boat Yuemaobinyu 42212, from Guangdong, was “berthed” at the area when seven or eight Filipino fishing boats “besieged” it. “During evacuation, 42212 failed to […]

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Senators condemn Chinese vessel’s ramming of Filipino boat, act of abandonment by Chinese vessel crew of Filipino fishermen

(Eagle News)–Senators on Thursday, June 13, condemned the collision at Recto Bank  that saw a Filipino boat sink, and the Chinese vessel that rammed it leaving behind the 22 Filipino fishermen. Senator Risa Hontiveros called on President Rodrigo Duterte to “immediately order the recall”  of the Philippine ambassador and consuls pending China’s action on the incident. According to Hontiveros, the Duterte administration should enforce the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling on the West Philippine Sea. […]

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