Philippines defense chief standing by story debris ‘rudely taken’ by China coast guard

The Department of National Defense is standing by the account the military made as regards the floating debris which it said the Chinese coast guard "rudely took" from a Philippine vessel in waters off Pag-Asa Island on Sunday.

DND officer in charge Senior Undersecretary Jose Faustino Jr. released the statement after China denied that its coast guard forcibly took the object being towed by the Philippine vessel by cutting the towing line and blocking the Filipino forces.

According to the Chinese foreign ministry, the object was taken by its coast guard after a "friendly consultation" with the Philippine side.

“We stand by the accounts of our personnel in the area that, contrary to the narrative of the Chinese side, the debris being towed by a Philippine vessel to Naval Station Emilio Liwanag for inspection was rudely taken by personnel from CCGV5203,” Faustino said.

Faustino said Philippine authorities were also investigating the reported explosions, allegedly artillery fire, after the incident with the Chinese coast guard.

He said the DND was awaiting additional reports on the two consecutive incidents near Pag-asa Island.

“The situation is still developing; thus, we cannot provide additional details at this time,” Faustino said.

He said the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and other relevant government agencies, were working together to ensure safety within the area.

“Events such as these are exactly why we continue to advocate for open lines of communication and dialogue mechanisms. We support the diplomatic efforts of Philippine government agencies to engage our Chinese counterparts to address the incident,” Faustino said.

China on Monday denied forcibly taking the debris, said to be from a rocket China recently launched.

Citing the foreign ministry, China's embassy in Manila said the Chinese coast guard retrieved the object after "friendly consultation" with the Philippine side.

The Chinese also denied blocking the Philippine Navy boat and forcefully retrieving the object at the scene.

"At around 8:00 am on November 20 a China Coast Guard ship found an unidentified floating object in the waters off the Nansha Islands, which was later identified as the wreckage of the fairing of a rocket recently launched by China," said the Chinese embassy in Manila, citing a report from Chinas foreign ministry.

"Before the China Coast Guard found the said floating object some Philippine Navy personnel already retrieved and towed it," it added.

"After friendly consultation, the Philippine side returned the floating object to the Chinese side on the spot," the Chinese embassy said.

According to the Armed Forces of the Philippines' Western Command, the incident occurred on Sunday after a team from Naval Station Emilio Liwanag (NSEL) retrieved the object but a Chinese coast guard vessel with bow number 5203 took it from them.

“[A]s the NSEL Team was towing the floating object, they noticed that China Coast Guard vessel with Bow Number 5203 was approaching their location and subsequently blocked their pre-plotted course twice,” WESCOM commander Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos said. Carlos said the Chinese coast guard vessel “deployed its Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat” and “forcefully retrieved said floating object by cutting the towing line attached to the NSEL rubber boat.”
The inflatable boat then towed the object back to the Chinese coast guard vessel.

Residents have reported hearing repetitive blasts from one of China’s artificial islands near Pag-asa Island in Kalayaan, Palawan, on Sunday.

The series of explosions started from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., residents reportedly said. Each set of explosions had a 30-minute interval and lasted for about five to 10 minutes.

Due to the impact of the explosions, residents said they felt the ground shaking.
Based on a spot report by Palawan police, residents believed that the blasts were coming from “artillery guns/weapons on the Subi Reef,” which is near the artificial islands built by China in the area. —NB, GMA Integrated News