BEIJING, China – Philippine Ambassador to China Jose Santiago Sta. Romana said the apology of the owner of the Chinese vessel that that rammed and abandoned the fishing boat carrying 22 Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea last June does not excuse them from their responsibility.
Sta. Romana made the statement following the issuance of the apology Wednesday, a day before President Duterte’s bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping yesterday.
In an interview here, Sta. Romana revealed that the Chinese fishermen tried to explain that they did not intentionally abandon the Filipino fishers after hitting their vessel.
“They heard the shouts for help but they couldn’t understand the language and they were overcome by fear. And then that they reported instead to the fishing authorities of China that what happened as they were leaving,” he said. “It does not excuse them for their responsibility. Their responsibility includes that by the way, the fact that they did not rescue our fishermen,” he added.
Sta. Romana said the owner of the Chinese vessel apologized for the incident early on but the government insisted that they apologize publicly.
“It was clear to us that not only from the President but also from the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, he made it clear what we want is a public formal apology written not verbal. And that’s what took a bit of time,” he said. “It was the result of intense negotiations between our DFA, our embassy and the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Embassy, and it took a lot – several rounds,” he added. (Argyll Geducos)
