By Allan Nawal/Philippine News Agency
BANGKOK — President Rodrigo Duterte has accepted the offer of the Chinese government for a joint investigation on the Recto Bank incident, in which a Filipino fishing boat sank after being hit by a Chinese vessel, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said on Saturday.
In a statement, Panelo said the President wanted to know what really transpired to “find a satisfactory closure to this episode.”
It was not clear, however, if Malacañang had already received a formal communication from Beijing on the joint probe offer.
“The basic dictates of justice demand a full account of the events that ultimately led to the abandonment of our 22 distressed fishermen in the middle of the sea and accountability of those at fault,” he added.
Panelo said that Duterte wanted the creation of a joint committee that would investigate the incident.
He said the President was suggesting that the committee will “be composed of three groups of highly qualified and competent individuals, with (the) Philippines and China having one representative each, and a third member coming from a neutral country.”
In accepting the Chinese offer, Panelo said Duterte had understood that speculation and accusations of bias would only hound separate investigations by the two countries.
“Such circumstance will put any finding by any side open to question and place the entire issue in a confused state. On the other hand, a joint and impartial investigation will not only promote the expedient resolution of the issue, it will also be in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which places paramount emphasis on the use of peaceful means to resolve international disputes,” he added.
Panelo also stressed that the government would never relinquish “any inch of our sovereign rights, nor compromise the rights of our 22 fishermen.”
“We are demanding justice for our countrymen, and we are using all legal means toward that end,” he added.
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