BFAR provides assistance to fishermen whose boat sank in Recto Bank

Department of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO / CATHY MIRANDA

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) on Friday promised that it will distribute 22 fiberglass boats to the crew of the Filipino fishing boat F/B GIMVER 1 that was hit and sank by a Chinese fishing vessel in the West Philippine Sea.

This was according to the Facebook post of Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol, which cited a BFAR status report on the incident.

READ: China fishing vessel sinks Filipino boat after ‘collision’ in West Philippine Sea

The post read that the fishermen safely arrived in Occidental Mindoro aboard a navy vessel.

BFAR Regional Director Elizer Salilig also distributed 22 sacks of rice as an “immediate assistance,” Piñol added.

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The incident of the “collision” that happened in Recto Bank (Reed Bank) in the West Philippine Sea earlier this week caused alarm, with Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana calling for an investigation and has asked for diplomatic steps to be taken.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang then slammed the Philippines for politicizing the incident “without verification.”

READ: Perpetrators of ‘collision’ in WPS should be ‘condemned’ — China spox

Meanwhile, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo hit back at the statement, adding that they are focusing on the “act of abandoning, not the collision itself.” (Editor: Jonathan P. Vicente)

READ: Palace hits back at China: PH not ‘politicizing’ sinking of Filipino boat