By Roy Ramos
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines
Philippine officials have been verifying reports that Chinese sea patrollers fired warning shots at a Filipino fishing boat in disputed waters of the South China Sea.
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin told GMA News on Friday that the reported shots in the area – which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea -- were "a cause of grave concern."
He said in a text message that although authorities "have not received any report yet," the incident would be concerning “if indeed this happened."
The comments come after a boat operator based in the western island province of Palawan claimed that one of his vessels had been fired at near the Mabini reef, an area being reclaimed by China, last Saturday. The fishermen onboard had reportedly been forced to flee the area.
China claims almost the whole of the resource-rich South China Sea, while several other Asian nations including Vietnam and the Philippines have also laid claim.
The U.S. and the Philippines have recently been expressing increasing concern amid Beijing's reported massive island creation projects atop previously submerged reefs, which have raised concerns among members of the international community who are wary of their impact on freedom of navigation.
The Philippines has protested the construction projects, calling them violations of the 2002 ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, to which China is a signatory.
Admiral Alexander Lopez, Western Command commander, also told local media that the incident last weekend has not been verified.
"We have no report from them [fishermen]. If ever you have a contact with the allegedly involved fishermen, please tell them to report to us, so we can assess the allegations," he added.
Meanwhile, army public affairs chief Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc said the military would coordinate with the Philippine coast guard “to ascertain the veracity of the report about the alleged harassment by Chinese authorities."
According to the boat operator, Pasi Abdulfatah, the fishermen had not reported the occurrence as they were accustomed to such disturbances by Chinese vessels.
In April, Filipino fishermen claimed that Chinese Coast Guard patrolmen had driven them out of the region's Scarborough Shoal with water cannon, while a boat captain said that armed Chinese officers had boarded boats and confiscated catch.
