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Manila — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has issued a clarification regarding the recent boat collision incident that occurred last Monday, resulting in the tragic loss of three Filipino fishermen’s lives.
In contrast to initial reports, the incident did not take place in Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal. It has been determined to be an accident, and importantly, the China Coast Guard was not involved.
“We wish to clarify that this incident occurred in the waters of Pangasinan, not in the immediate vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc. I want to correct our previous statement,” stated PCG spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela during an interview.
Tarriela went on to explain that the incident happened approximately 180 nautical miles off Agno, Pangasinan, which is closer to Pangasinan than Bajo de Masinloc.
“Based on the accounts provided by the Filipino fishermen, the area was engulfed in darkness due to adverse weather conditions at the time. Hence, there is a possibility that the fishing boat went unnoticed by the other vessel,” Tarriela added, dispelling any notions of deliberate ramming.
He also stressed that no Chinese vessels were implicated in the incident, addressing the initial speculations that arose due to reports suggesting the incident occurred in Bajo de Masinloc—a region in the West Philippine Sea known for frequent encounters between Chinese and Filipino ships.
Tarriela stated that a PCG investigation is currently underway to confirm the identity of the vessel responsible for colliding with the Filipino boat.
“The Coast Guard is actively working to determine the next port of call for the ‘vessel of interest’ and to verify whether it was in the vicinity of the incident at the reported time and date,” he explained. “Once confirmed, the Philippine government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs, will engage with the country where the vessel is registered.”
Further investigations revealed that the Pacific Ana, an oil tanker flying the Marshall Islands flag, was sailing near the location where the incident occurred. The Pacific Ana had traveled from South Korea and was en route to Singapore.
The fishing vessel Dearyn, carrying 14 crew members, was anchored to a fish float when it was struck by the larger vessel at 4:20 a.m. on Monday. Tragically, three fishermen lost their lives in the collision, identified as Dexter Laudencia, the 47-year-old boat captain, along with crew members Romeo Mejeco, 38, and Benedicto Olandria, 62. Eleven crew members survived by transferring to Dearyn’s eight service boats after it sank.
The survivors have since returned to their hometown of Calapandayan in Subic, Zambales, where the local government has provided assistance to the affected fishermen. (ai/mnm)
