A diplomatic protest against China has been filed already by the Philippine government following the incident in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) where a Filipino boat sank after it was hit by a Chinese vessel.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. confirmed this on Thursday, June 13, as he responded to the statement of outgoing Senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV, recommending that the matter be referred to the Maritime Safety Committee of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) since both the Philippines and China are its state parties.
“I fired off a diplomatic protest yesterday (June 12),” Locsin tweeted. “The Maritime Safety Committee of the IMO is it; but, Sonny, that I will proceed on the merits of the case and what it calls for while the matter is studied by the IMO. Even our ally failed us in Scarborough, remember?” he added.
The “collision” of the two vessels happened on the evening of June 9, Sunday, near the Recto Bank in the WPS. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who announced the matter on Wednesday, denounced the actions of the Chinese fishing vessel for “abandoning” the 22 Filipino fishermen onboard the Philippine boat. They were instead rescued by a Vietnamese fishing vessel which was near the vicinity.
Malacañang had called on the Chinese government to impose sanctions against the Chinese crew and stressed that their “act of abandonment” is “uncivilized as it is outrageous.”
“Regardless of the nature of the collision, whether it was accidental or intentional, common decency and the dictates of humanity require the dictates of humanity require the immediate saving of the crew of the downed Philippine vessel,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement he issued also on Thursday.
Apart from the Palace, former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario had earlier called on the Philippine government to hold China accountable for the sinking of the Filipino vessel.
[READ: Hold China accountable for sinking of Filipino vessel — ex-DFA chief]