An unidentified floating object was found by personnel of the Naval Station Emilio Liwanag (NSEL) on Sunday, Nov. 20, in the waters near Pag-asa Island.
Armed Forces of the Philippines West Command Commander Albert Carlos uniformed personnel went to the location and towed the debris when their pre-plotted course was blocked by a vessel belonging to the Chinese Coast Guard.
“As 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,” Carlos said.
The Chinese Coast Guard cut the towing line of the unidentified metallic object towed by NSEL’s rubber boat.
“The said CCGB RHIB forcefully retrieved said floating object by cutting the towing line attached to the NSEL rubber boat,” Carlos said.
According to Wescom, it was similar to the Chinese rocket debris seen recently in some parts of the country.
Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said a thorough investigation will be conducted due to the incident.
“We [are] aware of the incident and await detailed reports from maritime law enforcement agencies,” DFA Spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said. —Report from Bea Bernardo/KC – gb
