Unidentified object found floating off Pag-asa, taken by Chinese coast guard —WESCOM

An unidentified floating object was found drifting off Pag-asa Island on Sunday morning, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines' Western Command (WESCOM) on Monday.

A team from Naval Station Emilio Liwanag (NSEL) was able to retrieve the object but a Chinese coast guard vessel with bow number 5203 was able to take it from them, WESCOM commander Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos said in a statement.

“[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,” he said.

Carlos added that the Chinese coast guard vessel “then 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.

The NSEL personnel, meanwhile, decided to return to Pag-asa Island, Carlos said. None of its personnel were injured during the incident, which has already been reported to the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea (NTF WPS) for appropriate action.

Pag-asa Island is the largest among the nine areas occupied by Filipino troops in the West Philippine Sea. It is about 280 nautical miles northwest of Puerto Princesa City in Palawan.

In an interview, WESCOM spokesperson Major Cherryl Tindog said the actions that would be taken regarding the incident, including the possible filing of protest, will be up to the NTF WPS.

“Yung assessment nung nangyari and the actions to be taken si NTF na [The assessment on what happened and the actions to be taken are up to the NTF],” she said.

Tindog said the unidentified floating object resembles the metal debris found in Busuanga, Palawan, earlier this month.

The incident between the NSEL and the Chinese coast guard personnel lasted for roughly an hour and did not escalate to an armed clash.

“Maximum tolerance naman tayo sa ganun. Since its an unidentified, then not a matter of life and death naman yung object, so parang nag-decide na lang yung ating team na bumalik na lang dun sa NSEL,” Tindog said.

(We implement maximum tolerance in a situation like that. Since the object is unidentified, then it was not a matter of life and death, so the team decided to return to NSEL.) —KBK, GMA Integrated News