MANILA, Philippines — Iniulat kahapon ng Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Western Command (WESCOM) na natagpuan noong Linggo ng umaga ang isang unidentified floating object sa Pag-asa Island.
Ayon kay WESCOM commander Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos na nakuha ng team ng Naval Station Emilio Liwanag (NSEL) ang object, subalit nakuha ito ng Chinese coast guard vessel na may bow number 5203.
“[A]s 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,” wika ni Carlos.
Idinagdag ni Carlos na ang Chinese coast guard vessel “then deployed its Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat” at “forcefully retrieved said floating object by cutting the towing line attached to the NSEL rubber boat.”
Ibinalik ng inflatable boat ang object sa Chinese coast guard vessel.
Napagdesisyunan ng NSEL personnel na bumalik sa Pag-asa Island, ayon kay Carlos. Wala namang nasugatan sa insidente, naiulat na sa National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea (NTF WPS) para aksyunan ito.
Ang Pag-asa Island ang pinakamalaki sa siyam na lugar na okupado ng Filipino troops sa West Philippine Sea. Ito ay halos 280 nautical miles northwest ng Puerto Princesa City sa Palawan.