The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) found no evidence of Vietnamese vessels off Ilocos Norte.
MANILA, Philippines — No Vietnamese fishing vessels were monitored off the coast of Pasuquin in Ilocos Norte, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
This discovery came after the agency conducted a maritime domain awareness (MDA) flight in the area to verify reports circulating online that around 20 boats were spotted off Pasuquin.
PCG for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said an aircraft was deployed in the area last April 27 to conduct a three-hour MDA flight.
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“And unfortunately, we were not able to see the presence of the Vietnamese fishing vessels that were circulated on social media,” he revealed in a press conference on Monday.
“We are now reaching out to those fishermen who posted this on their social media accounts to tell us the actual coordinates and the distance where they have located those Vietnamese fishing vessels,” he added.
The reports stemmed from videos of fisherfolk capturing the alleged presence of Vietnamese fishing vessels near the province. Some of the locals even claimed they could no longer catch fish due to the foreign vessels.