PH asked to demand payment for Chinese ship in Tubbataha

Bayan Secretary General Renato Reyes Jr.. INQUIRER file photo

The government should not only file a formal protest but also “demand accountability and compensation” from China for the grounding of a Chinese vessel at Tubbataha Reef in the Sulu Sea, the militant umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) said Tuesday.

 
Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes called the second Tubbataha Reef grounding incident in three months a “cause for alarm.”

 
In a text message to the INQUIRER, he said they “can’t help but notice though that Philippine authorities were able to apprehend the Chinese crew of the vessel but the same was not done to the crew of the USS Guardian in January.”

 
“The crew of the US Navy minesweeper should have been investigated in the same way the Philippine Coast Guard is investigating the Chinese crew now,” Reyes added.