■ PHILIPPINE NAVY WARSHIP RUNS AGROUND IN DISPUTED WEST PH SEA
Palace confident China won’t stop Philippines from retrieving vessel
A Philippine Navy vessel is now being retrieved from the vicinity of Hasa-Hasa Shoal in the West Philippine Sea after it ran aground last Wednesday. BRP Gregorio Del Pilar was patrolling the area when the incident happened. None of the crew members was injured and there was only minimal damage to the vessel, said Col. Noel Detoyato, chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Public Affairs Office. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said the retrieval of one of the Navy’s largest warships is ongoing without any interference from China.
The Philippine Navy’s BRP Gregorio Del Pilar vessel ran aground late Wednesday in the vicinity of Hasa-Hasa Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, a military official said yesterday.
No one was hurt and the ship sustained only minimal damage, said Colonel Noel Detoyato, chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Public Affairs Office.
Malacañang expressed confidence that China would not stop the Philippines from retrieving the vessel, which is one of the Philippine Navy’s largest warships.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr., in an interview with Palace reporters, said retrieval of the vessel is ongoing.
The BRP Gregorio Del Pilar was patrolling the area when it ran aground Wednesday night in the vicinity of Hasa-Hasa Shoal (internationally known as Half Moon Shoal), which is about 60 nautical miles from the nearest point of Rizal town in Palawan.
“I understand that efforts are being undertaken to retrieve the grounded Del Pilar. If you remember, this is the same Del Pilar that was sent by then President [Benigno Aquino III] to Scarborough, which led the Chinese to send multiple Coast Guard vessels to the area, leading to our exclusion from Scarborough Shoal,” he said.
“It’s ongoing, with no problems from China,” the Palace official added.
Detoyato said the BRP Gregorio Del Pilar was patrolling the area when it ran aground Wednesday night in the vicinity of Hasa-Hasa Shoal (internationally known as Half Moon Shoal), which is about 60 nautical miles from the nearest point of Rizal town in Palawan.
Detoyato assured that none of the personnel on board have been hurt due to the incident.
“(Nasira ‘yung propeller but) not the main. The rudder on the main propeller kasi sa side niya ‘yung sumayad kasi may thruster yan sa side ‘yung kapag nagmamaneuver kay un ‘yung umaandar.. (Pero umaandar siya) kaya nga ‘yung crew intact pa rin doon kasi umaandar ang makina niya. All other systems are working… very minimal lang ang damage,” he added.
Detoyato said all afloat vessels in the Western Command area have already been mobilized to conduct assessment, retrieve the aground vessel and return it to safe harbor./