The crew of the Gem-Ver 1 fishing boat involved in the incident near Recto Bank on June 9, 2019. (Photo from the Philippine News Agency)
Beijing should release the names of the crew of the vessel that rammed a Filipino fishing boat near Recto Bank last month, “if China is really a friend of the Philippines,” Sen. Richard Gordon said.
The Chinese crew, Gordon said in a statement, “left the Filipino crew in peril of the sea” on June 9, and “if China lives in a world order of civility and out of friendship, they will take responsibility by giving the names and letting the Philippines investigate them.”
Beijing should also offer to pay damages and replace the boat, Gem-Ver 1, he added.
Gordon said the Philippines had acted responsibly in similar incidents.
He recalled the May 9, 2013 incident involving a Philippine Coast Guard patrol boat and a Taiwanese boat, which led to the death of a Taiwanese fisherman by gunfire from the Filipino vessel.
The National Bureau of Investigation found that the Philippine Coast Guard might have violated the rules of engagement, and that eight crewmen fired at the Taiwanese vessel. The NBI recommended the filing of homicide charges against the Philippine Coast Guard personnel, Gordon said. (PressONE.ph)