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Duterte: Recto Bank incident not an attack on PHL sovereignty


President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday said the June 9 ramming of a Filipino boat by a Chinese vessel in Recto Bank was not an attack on Philippine sovereignty.

In a speech in Davao City, Duterte said the incident did not take place in the territorial sea.

Duterte said the Philippines was entitled to territorial seas within 12 nautical miles from the coastline .

Recto Bank, also known as Reed Bank, is about 85 nautical miles from the nearest coast of Palawan province. 

The feature falls within the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone of the Philippines under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which aims to govern the use of offshore areas and sets territorial limits of coastal states.

"Remember na 'yung sa Recto Reed it was not a matter of sovereignty. Twelve miles lang tayo, that is part of our territory as a republic," Duterte said.

"Beyond that ang binigay sa atin is the exclusive economic zone. It is not an attack on our sovereignty. Malayo 'yan,"  he added.

Duterte reiterated that the ramming was a maritime accident that needed to be investigated.

China has offered a joint investigation with the Philippines on the incident, which Duterte welcomed according to his spokesperson Salvador Panelo.

"It is not a confrontation of armed men, machines or ships. Wala ngang namatay," Duterte said.

"China says kung kasalanan nila magbayad sila. Why do we have to go in a convoluted argument?"

The President said he was not afraid of China even as he expressed reservations anew about provoking the Asian powerhouse into war. 

"Hindi ako takot sa China. Takot ako na baka walang kalaban-laban tayo at baka tayo ang maubos," Duterte said.

"America has the right to interfere if it becomes a bloody confrontation," he added, referring to the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty between Manila and Washington. 

Twenty-two Filipino crew members were left at the Recto Bank after their fishing boat was hit by a Chinese vessel causing it to sink.

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.

A Chinese embassy statement confirmed that it was a Chinese vessel that hit the Philippine fishing boat but added its crew wanted to help the Filipinos but was afraid of getting besieged by Filipino boats nearby.

The statement said the Chinese vessel was initially besieged by seven to eight Filipino boats and was trying to escape when it hit the ill-fated fishing boat. —NB, GMA News

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