Duterte welcomes China’s suggestion for joint probe of Recto Bank incident

President Rodrigo Duterte welcomed the suggestion of China for a joint investigation with the Philippines on the June 9 sinking of a Filipino fishing boat by a Chinese vessel in Recto Bank, Malacañang said Thursday.

“The President welcomes a joint investigation and an early resolution of the case. We will await a formal communication from the Chinese Embassy,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said.

Panelo, who favors a joint probe, issued the statement after Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Beijing was pushing for such arrangement “through friendly consultations based on mutually recognized investigation results.”

Twenty-two Filipino crew members were left at the Recto Bank, also known as Reed Bank, off Palawan after their fishing boat was hit by a Chinese vessel causing it to flounder. They were later rescued by a Vietnamese vessel.

The Filipino fishermen claimed the Chinese vessel intentionally hit their boat and abandoned them when the seacraft began to sink.

But after meeting with Philippine officials on Wednesday, the fishermen retracted their earlier statement, saying the allision could have been an accident.

Duterte and the Chinese Foreign Ministry had also described the Recto Bank allision as an accident.

The President has declined to give a policy statement on the incident as he chose to wait for the results of the investigation.

His cautious stance, Panelo said, was anchored on the President’s balancing act of maintaining good relations with China and protecting the interest of the Philippines, particularly the welfare of migrant workers in China and the Filipino fishermen.

Panelo assured on Wednesday that the Philippines will "demand" reparations after an investigation established the facts about the boat ramming incident.

In the meantime, Panelo said the government's priority was to look out for the welfare of the affected 22 fishermen and for the safety of the entire Filipino fishing community "and even for the security of all our countrymen."

“The nation can rest assured that the President and the entire government shall be relentless in its pursuit of justice for our 22 fishermen and that strong action shall be made if and when the same is warranted,” the Palace spokesman said. — BAP, GMA News