The owner of the Chinese ship that rammed and sank a Filipino fishing vessel in Recto Bank in June has apologized to the Filipino fishermen affected by the incident.
The Philippine Embassy in China on Wednesday pointed to its memo to Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. containing the translation of a key portion of the apology from the Chinese ship’s owner.
“The shipowner of the Chinese fishing boat involved, through our association, would like to express his sincere apology to the Filipino fishermen,” read an excerpt of the English translation of the letter.
“We believe that, although this accident was an unintentional mistake of the Chinese fishermen, the Chinese fishing boat should however take the major responsibility in the accident,” it said.
The letter also requested the Philippine side “to file a specific appeal for civil compensation based on the actual loss.”
Malacañang accepted the boat owner’s apology.
“We welcome the owner’s humility to take responsibility and acknowledgment that compensation must be provided to cover the actual loss,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement.
The Chinese vessel hurriedly left the area after the June 9 incident, and the 22 crew members of the FB Gem-Vir 1 were left stranded in open water for four hours until a passing Vietnamese vessel rescued them.
The apology came as President Rodrigo Duterte is set to visit China, where he vowed to raise the June 9 incident in his meeting with counterpart President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders.
China, which proposed a joint investigation of the incident, said the Chinese vessel had not intended to leave the Filipinos, but was forced to sail away for fear of being besieged by several other Filipino boats near the area—a claim belied by the fishermen.
Duterte said in late June that he had already received the preliminary investigation report on the incident by the Navy and the Coast Guard.
The President also apologized to the fishermen but maintained his view that it was nothing but a “maritime incident.”
At a press conference, Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad said the Navy planned to put up a detachment on Fuga Island, where Chinese investors are planning to turn into an economic hub.
“We’re working on having a presence in the strategic islands because Fuga is very important because of its strategic location,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.
He said stations on the island would be able to monitor all vessels passing through it.
Chinese investors also want to develop the islands of Grande and Chiquita located at the mouth of Subic Bay.
The Navy earlier expressed concern about plans to let Chinese interests develop these islands, given their security implications.