The Chinese ship that was spotted at Quirino Atoll recently was there to tow a Filipino vessel that ran aground, the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Command said.
Navy Captain Cherryl Tindog, Wescom spokesperson, said that a Chinese rescue and salvage ship towed the Filipino "carrier boat" on February 22.
The whereabouts of the Filipino vessel have yet to be determined, she added.
"Chinese rescue and salvage ship, not [Chinese Coast Guard], was spotted during our patrol on February 22 po," Tindog said in an interview.
"Nung sumunod na mga patrols natin, mga Filipino fishing vessels na lang na nasa-sight natin," she added.
The Filipino vessel ran aground in the Atoll in November.
"Kasi bad weather, e. Kasi di ba ganung period, bad wheater dun so nagkaroon na rin siguro ng discrepancies na-ran aground," Tindog said.
Asked about where the Filipino boat is now, Tindog said, "Hindi namin alam."
"Kinocontact namin sana yung ano, yung sa BFAR, sa [Philippine] Coast Guard , sa Marina, nakipagcoordinate na ba yung may-ari ng boat sa kanila, kasi sila yung may jurisdiction," Tindog said.
"Tayo naman nadaan lang natin na may mga ganung sighting, so hindi natin alam, hindi pa nakapag-coordinate sa amin kung nahanap na ba ng may ari, sinauli ba sa kanila mga ganun," she added.
'To guarantee safety'
China confirmed on Wednesday it had sent vessels to a disputed atoll in the South China Sea to tow a grounded ship and that these vessels have since left the waters.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China's Ministry of Transport had sent vessels to tow the grounded ship.
"To guarantee safety of navigation and of work conditions, China urged fishing vessels near the site to leave," Hong said, adding that China had indisputable sovereignty over the atoll.
It was earlier reported that Chinese ships prevented Filipino fishermen from accessing the fishing grounds, raising tensions in the area.
A newspaper reported that the Chinese had taken over the atoll, which the Wescom said was only 246 kilometers away from Palawan.
China had deployed up to seven ships to Quirino Atoll, said Eugenio Bito-onon Jr., the mayor of nearby Pagasa Island in the Spratly Islands.
No sustained presence
Vice Admiral Alexander Lopez, commander of the military's Western Command, said there was no "sustained presence" by the Chinese Navy in the atoll but added that three to five Chinese Coast Guard ships had been sighted in the area.
"That's inaccurate, that's not true… In so far as we are concerned, there is no continued or sustained presence by the Chinese there," he said.
Lopez said the government will not allow occupation of territories in the disputed waters.
"It's the policy of the government that the government will not allow it," Lopez said.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario dismissed as "speculative" the suggestions that the Chinese presence in the atoll was a prelude to a takeover.
“We are monitoring the situation on the ground. According to reports, they are not there today so the theory about occupation may not be accurate because if they are occupying they should be there,” Del Rosario said.
“That’s my take of situation. They may be back tomorrow or they might not,” he said.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/557854/news/nation/chinese-ship-towed-filipino-boat-in-quirino-atoll-afp-wescom
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