MANILA – The administration appeared to be in a “state of confusion” over the Reed Bank incident between a Chinese vessel and a Filipino fishing boat, said Sen. Joel Villanueva.
In a statement on late Tuesday, Villanueva said the government must provide clarity on the incident as he also called for justice on the 22 Filipino fishermen who were left for dead by the Chinese crew.
“At first, some Cabinet members described the case as a collision. A few hours after, the official line became allision. Then later on, it was called a ‘maritime incident.’” Villanueva said.
He added: “One thing is clear to our minds. It seems that in this particular case, even the government is in a state of confusion. The Chinese crew must be brought here in the Philippines to be held to account and make amends.”
“Tuwing pumapalaot sila, tinataya nila ang kanilang kaligtasan upang magkaroon ng disentente hanapbuhay. Huwag po sana natin maliitin ang kanilang masalimuot na karanasan,” said Villanueva.
Villanueva’s statement, however, did not sit well with Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo as he came up with a response that government officials only issued “clarifications” as more details about the incident emerged.
“What the members of the Cabinet did was simply to clarify the issue as the circumstances previously unknown surrounding the Recto Bank incident begin to unravel,” Panelo said.
“If after the clarification, the reader cannot still comprehend, then it is his mind which is in a state of confusion as he cannot grasp a simple correction of terminology, or worse, he could be intellectually challenged,” he added.
A Chinese vessel allegedly rammed and abandoned an anchored Filipino fishing boat with 22 fishermen on board near the Recto Bank in the disputed West Philippine Sea on June 9.
The Chinese embassy in Manila denied the abandonment, saying the Chinese captain tried to rescue the Filipino fishermen “but was afraid of being besieged by other Filipino fishing boats.”/PN
