Owner of Chinese Vessel Finally Apologizes For ‘Accidentally’ Sinking Filipino Boat
CHINESE VESSEL – The owner of the Chinese vessel finally apologize for hitting the Filipino boat in Recto Bank.
On June 9, a sea vessel owned by Chinese fishermen allegedly rammed the Filipino fishing boat F/B Gimver 1 at Recto Bank (Reed Bank). The Chinese allegedly abandoned the 22 Filipino with their sinking boat said captain Jonnel Insigne.
Fortunately, the Vietnamese crew passed on the area and rescued them. Insigne claimed that their ship was rammed “intentionally.” A week later he, changed his tune and said he’s “unsure” if the Chinese fishers deliberately hit their boat.
In a previous article, the Philippine government gave the Filipino fishermen 11 fiberglass boats. The gift was sent two days after he skipped his meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte. The chief executive also ordered to have a thorough investigation of the incident.
Based on a report from Inquirer, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced that China has admitted that their trawler was at fault in the incident at Reed Bank on Wednesday, August 28.
Malacañang Spokesperson Salvador Panelo spoke to the reporters in Beijing, China ahead of Duterte’s 5th visit to China. He said the owner of the Chinese ship apologized for his vessel hitting the Pinoy boat then abandoning them.
According to the report, the DFA posted the photo of the letter of apology on Twitter. It was sent by Mr. Chen Shiqin. “Chinese Apology of the Recto Bank Collision Incident” for the subject. On the bottom part of the letter, it contained what appeared to be the signature of Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and a word “Noted.”
Read the letter below:
The letter of apology elicited mixed reactions from the online community. Here are some of their comments on the post:
@ninabellatrlx: “Wow this is something. China rarely apologizes. I appreciate the fair investigation made and the civil compensation offer.”
@jhencarla12: “Bakit ngayon lang sila nagsorry? Hinintay pa nilang magdaan ang tatlong buwan bago sila humingi ng paumanhin.”
@nasseramparna: “May intra territorial investigation din kasi. No one will bend on this matter easily. Kung ako man knowing the lapses of our kababayan in following proper marine vehicle, I won’t bend. Gayunpaman, apology was sent and compensations are guaranteed. Tiba tiba mangingisda natin.”
What can you say about this article? Leave your comment and reactions below.
