Presence of floaters with Chinese markings alarms AFP

From ABS-CBN (Aug 26): Presence of floaters with Chinese markings alarms AFP

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said it is concerned about the environmental impact and dangers posed by the set of metal pipes with large flotation devices washed ashore recently in La Union.

(READ: Metal pipe, floaters with Chinese markings reach PH coastal village)

AFP spokesperson Colonel Restituto Padilla said such a large object floating at sea, bearing Chinese markings similar to those found in Iba, Zambales last month, puts the lives of Filipino fishermen and sailors at risk.

When asked where the AFP thinks the pipes came from, Padilla said the AFP is still studying the matter.

He, however, said that the apparatus was most likely used for dredging activities.

Padilla said the last time the AFP checked, there were no such dredging activities in Scarborough Shoal or in Reed Bank, which are closer to the northern Philippines.

Padilla said it is likely that the pipes came from farther away. He surmised the pipes may be from the artificial islands that China is building in the West Philippine Sea.

Padilla, however, said that this was not yet a final assessment.

METAL PIPES, FLOATERS WITH CHINESE MARKINGS

Village chief Gaudencio Cuyo said he first received text messages from residents that big pipes were being washed towards Barangay Baroro during the onslaught of a typhoon over the weekend.

''During the typhoon, when the winds and rain were very strong, I got word that there were large pipes spotted near the barangay. When the typhoon left, we went to the barangay and found the pipes washed ashore,'' Cuyo said.

The pipe, which is bigger than an average man, is about 400 meters long and is composed of rubber joints and metal floaters.

The pipe bore Chinese characters as well as the word ''Danjin,'' which is suspected to be the manufacturer.

Ensign Simeon dela Rosa, information of the Philippine Coast Guard Northwestern Luzon, said similar Chinese markings and the word ''Danjin'' were also on pipes found in Subic, Zambales last month.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said it is still verifying the function of the pipes. The PCG is planning to tow and secure the pipes at the San Fernando, La Union headquarters for further inspection.

Last May, the Philippine Navy found a large steel marker bearing Chinese inscriptions and hundreds of yellow buoys in waters near the Reed Bank, an area of the South China Sea where Manila has long explored for oil and gas.

A sailor told Reuters he was on a fishing boat being used by the Navy that discovered the rubber buoys and the floating steel marker at the end of May. The buoys stretched ''as far as the eye could see,'' the sailor said.

He said there was no evidence Chinese ships had placed them near the Reed Bank, which is also claimed by Beijing.

But efforts to remove the buoys were thwarted by the sudden appearance of a Chinese naval patrol vessel, prompting the Philippine boat to flee, the sailor said in an interview in Puerto Princesa, capital of Palawan province, the Philippine military's jumping off point to the disputed South China Sea.

The Reed Bank lies 80-90 nautical miles (148-167 km) west of the Philippines in what Manila regards as its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

China claims most of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/08/26/15/presence-floaters-chinese-markings-alarms-afp