Skipper of ill-fated boat says Chinese vessel behind ‘intentional’ collision in Recto Bank

The captain of the fishing boat that was hit in waters off the Recto Bank almost a week ago swears that it was a Chinese vessel that collided with his sea craft.

In an interview with Mike Enriquez and Marisol Abdurahman on "24 Oras", Junel Insigne said he believed that the collision was intentional on the part of the Chinese.

"Yung palantandaan po namin, 'yun po ang panghanapbuhay nila. Chinese po talaga. Fishing vessel," Insigne said.

"Kung sa akin sinadya po 'yon," he added.

Insigne said the vessel that hit their boat went back and turned its lights on. He said the crew members thought they would get some help.

"Nu'ng nakita po kaming lubog na, saka po kami iniwanan," Insigne said.

Insigne and his crew were finally homebound almost a week after their boat sank Sunday evening.

The 22 crew members, who were rescued by a passing Vietnamese vessel, were taken aboard by the Philippine Navy ship BRP Alcaraz, then transferred to another vessel, the BRP Tausug, as the Alcaraz could not make port in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro.

Many of the rescued fishermen were visibly exhausted as the Navy turned them over to the custody of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in a ceremony.

According to Naval Forces Southern Luzon commander Commodore Sonny Palces, the fishers were set to undergo an intensive medical exam.

The fishermen, who were relieved to be able to see their families again, were nevertheless devastated to come home empty-handed due to the sinking.

Among them was a father and his son who recalled the horror of swimming and trying to find each other in the dark after the boat went down. —NB/DVM, GMA News