Manila is now preparing for “contingencies” after Taiwan imposed a second wave of sanctions against the Philippines over last week’s killing of a Taiwanese fisherman by Philippine Coast Guard personnel in waters off northern Luzon.
Facing yet another flashpoint over disputes in the West Philippine Sea, the country’s top diplomat said Saturday that the Philippine maritime agencies have initiated an investigation into the “unfortunate” shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman off Batanes, maintaining that the incident occurred during lawful operations within territorial waters.
A Chinese fishing vessel that crashed into one of the Philippines’ most famous reefs damaged almost 4,000 square meters of centuries-old coral, the marine park said on Saturday.
Twelve suspected Chinese poachers could face up to 20 years in prison for possession of hundreds of dead pangolins, or scaly anteaters, Philippine wildlife authorities said Wednesday.
The Philippine coast guard said Monday it had found hundreds of frozen scaly anteaters, or pangolins, in the cargo hold of a Chinese boat that ran aground in a protected marine sanctuary last week.
The Philippine Coast Guard will help refloat the Chinese vessel Min Long Yu which ran aground on Monday night at the Tubbataha National Marine Park in the Sulu Sea, according to the PCG commandant.
More than 400 individuals from Sabah have been stranded on Taganak Island (Turtle Island) in Tawi-Tawi province since Saturday night, waiting to be rescued by the government, a Philippine Navy official said on Sunday.
The Philippine Coast Guard on Wednesday said it already called off its search and rescue operations for the 14 missing crew members of a Myanmar ship that sank off Bolinao, Pangasinan on Saturday night.
Japan plans to donate patrol boats costing $11 million each to the Philippines, ramping up regional efforts to monitor China’s maritime activity in disputed waters, a newspaper said Monday.
Visiting members of the United States House of Representatives reiterated their country’s regrets for the grounding of the USS Guardian on the protected Tubbataha Reef, an official of the US Embassy in Manila said Wednesday.
Brunei will pursue a binding code of conduct among competing South China Sea claimants as a top priority during its Asean chairmanship, officials said Monday.
Three Filipino fishermen were rescued by a passing Netherlands Antilles-registered cargo vessel two days after their fishing boat capsized about 70 nautical miles east of Bitaogan, Surigao del Sur, according to the Philippine Coast Guard.
