ASEAN leaders may talk about Recto Bank incident during summit —Panelo

Southeast Asian leaders may discuss the Recto Bank incident involving Philippine and Chinese vessels during the upcoming summit in Bangkok, although it may not  be the proper venue for it, presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said Thursday.

"Baka di 'yun ang proper venue na pag-usapan 'yun (Recto Bank incident). But who knows? Alam mo na ang mga heads of state pag nag-uusap, baka mapag-usapan nila 'yan," Panelo told Unang Balita on Thursday.

President Rodrigo Duterte is scheduled to attend the ASEAN Summit on June 22 to 23.

During the summit, ASEAN leaders are expected to adopt the ASEAN leaders' vision on partnership for sustainability, Bangkok Declaration on Combating Marine Debris in the ASEAN Region, ASEAN leaders' statement on the ASEAN Cultural Year for 2019 and the ASEAN Indo-Pacific Outlook.

Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Junever Mahilum-West had earlier said that the summit is not the proper venue for an "in-depth" discussion of the June 9 incident in Recto Bank where a boat carrying 22 Filipino fishermen was rammed by a Chinese vessel.

The Philippine boat sank as a result of the ramming. The Filipino received no help from the Chinese. A Vietnamese boat eventually rescued the Filipino fishermen.

The Philippines filed a diplomatic protest in connection with the incident.

President Rodrigo Duterte, who adopted a friendly stance toward Beijing, said the ramming was just a "little maritime accident" and that he would wait for the results of the investigation before taking action.

The Philippine Coast Guard said it has already finished with its probe but refused to disclose its findings yet pending approval from higher authorities.

In a forum, Defense chief Delfin Lorenzana said the Recto Bank incident was an accident based on the "new facts" authorities obtained from the crewmen. —Anna Felicia Bajo/KBK, GMA News