Navy vessels under the operation and authority of the Naval Forces West (Navforwest) and the Western Command (Wescom) Headquarters here are chasing an undetermined number of alleged Sino fishing boats off Barangay Rio Tuba, Bataraza town in southern Palawan, top provincial naval officer Commodore Edgardo Tamayo told the media Monday morning.
The pursuit operation was ordered today following rampant reports from Bataraza fishermen that quite a few large foreign fishing vessels and smaller dinghies were spotted while catching fish within the Philippine territory.
Tamayo said the Filipino fishermen described the large foreign fishing vessels as having bow marks that resemble Chinese or Taiwanese characters.
As of press time, Tamayo is yet to hear results from PN vessels that were ordered to do the chase.
He believes the foreign fishing vessels entered either through the seas that border Malaysia and the Philippines in southern Palawan, or the South China Sea, a common easier route for Vietnamese, Chinese, Indonesian and Taiwanese fishers encroaching within the country’s territorial waters.
This is not the first time Filipino fishermen spotted foreign fishing boats entering the country and catching fish within its territorial seas. A few months ago, the navy also received the same report. - PNA
Linkback:
https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=34866.0
Topic: Philippine Navy Chased Chinese Fishing Vessels (Read 607 times)