Navy: 5 underwater drones recovered in different parts of PH

A total of five underwater drones were recovered from various parts of the Philippines, according to the Philippine Navy on Tuesday.

“We have already recovered five of these. The reports were given to us by our fishermen. And it’s difficult to detect these drones underwater but when they’re on the surface, they become visible,” Philippine Navy spokesperson for West Philippine Sea (WPS) Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said in a press briefing.

“They get picked up by our fisherfolks and they report to the police and then eventually to the Philippine Navy,” he added.

Trinidad said two drones, also known as submersible drones or unmanned underwater vehicles, were recovered in Calayan Island in the Babuyan Islands group; one in Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte; another in Initao, Misamis Oriental; and the most recent discovery in San Pascual, Masbate last December 2024.

According to the Navy official, the recovered underwater drones have to undergo a forensic process which takes six to eight weeks.

So far, only the drone recovered in Calayan Island has yielded results. Trinidad said the submersible drone recovered in Calayaan Island could have military purposes and applications.

“We have the results of the first one we just reported in Calayaan. The forensics started August of last year,” Trinidad said.

“The result is that these are designed to gather mathematical data, specifically salinity, oxygen level, temperature of the water. This information will have commercial value. It will have academic value. With the criss-crossing of information right now, it could also have military purposes and applications,” he added.

Trinidad refused to divulge more information about the drone recovered in Calayaan Island, saying that “the report will be given out by the appropriate government agency.”

The latest recovered submersible was found by local fishermen in shallow waters near Barangay Inarawan in San Pascual, Masbate on December 30. It was turned over to the Philippine Navy on December 31.

Trinidad earlier said that the underwater drone is painted yellow and marked “HY-119”m has a length of 3.5 meters, a diameter of 24 centimeters, and weighs 94 kilograms.

Asked if the underwater drone was operated by Chinese forces, Trinidad said “open source would tell us the manufacturer. But again this will not amount to anything. We need hard scientific evidence to say where this came from and what are the other parameters around its presence.” —RF, GMA Integrated News