PCG: Study on Pagasa Reef 1's possible damage due to Chinese ship completed

The assessment on the possible damage on Pagasa Reef 1 from the grounding incident involving a Chinese vessel in June has yielded results, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Wednesday.

PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) Commodore Jay Tarriela said the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) conducted the study.

“The PCSD already came up with the result ng evaluation nila,” Tarriela said at a Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum.

(The PCSD already came up with the result of their evaluation.)

“Since they are the ones who did the study, they should be the one to share to the media and to explain ano ang mga significant findings na ginawa nila out of that survey,” he added.

(Since they are the ones who did the study, they should be the one to share to the media and to explain what are the significant findings they made out of that survey.)

Tarriela said the results on the possible damage on Pagasa Reef 1 will be presented first to the National Task Force - West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS).

“And from there, I think that's the time we can come up with actions and whether it will be publicized and shared to the media,” Tarriela said.

On June 7, the PCG monitored a suspected Chinese maritime militia vessel with bow number 16838 that ran aground at Pagasa Reef 1, which is around one nautical mile from Pagasa Island.  

The Chinese vessel was likely driven into the shallow area due to adverse sea conditions with two to three meters of waves as well as strong winds. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News