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PHL Navy apologizes for ramming Chinese ship


The Department of National Defense on Wednesday said the Philippine Navy has apologized for accidentally ramming a Chinese vessel which was towing smaller boats off Reed Bank in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) earlier this week. In an interview with reporters, Defense spokesman Zosimo Paredes said the Navy ship BRP Rizal was patrolling Reed Bank when it spotted a Chinese fishing vessel on Tuesday morning suspected to be poaching. It was towing at least 35 small bancas. He said BRP Rizal encountered a problem with its steering mechanism and got entangled with one of the small boats, which then resulted in the accidental ramming. Paredes said there were no casualties. "The Chinese boat just abandoned the small boats. It appeared it got scared. They were supposed to be checked which is usual since they are within Philippine waters. The mother Chinese fishing boat immediately left, leaving the small boats it was towing," he said. But he said Navy chief Vice Admiral Alexandar Pama immediately ordered the Navy to send an apology to the Chinese Embassy after learning about the incident. "I think there was already an apology to the Chinese Embassy here in Manila. It's in the form of incident information to the Chinese Embassy here. At the same time, we are saying that the damage is not intentional. The minor incident was unfortunate, that was a result of unforeseen circumstances," Paredes said. "There was no intent to ram them whatsoever, we are just doing a rightful job. They (Chinese fishermen) are within our territory so they have to be accosted of course," he added. He likewise said that there is no no need for the DND to issue a separate apology to the Chinese government. Reed Bank The Reed Bank is about 80 nautical miles west of southwestern Palawan province and is within the country's 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs. The Philippine government has maintained that it is part of Kalayaan municipality in western Palawan, the territory within the Spratly Islands claimed by the country. Both China and the Philippines are claimants in the disputed Spratlys, a chain of islands and islets believed to be rich in oil and minerals deposits. The other claimants include Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Brunei. — with Kim Tan/RSJ/HS, GMA News

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