Pieces of metal debris were found by locals residents off the coast of two towns in Eastern Samar, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said on Sunday.
In a statement released by CAAP, several metal debris were recovered by locals at the towns of Mercedes and Guiuan.
The first debris were found at a resort in Anuron Beach, Mercedes, Eastern Samar at around 7:30 a.m., August 6. CAAP said that the sizable debris needed the assistance of several men to transport.
Personnel from CAAP Tacloban and Guiuan Airport, together with the local Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) K9 unit, and representatives from Mercedes' local government unit (LGU) visited the scene. Markers were immediately placed in the scene where the debris were found.
Later in the afternoon, at about three kilometers from the site where the first debris were found, fishermen in Barangay Taytay, Guiuan, Eastern Samar also discovered other metal debris by the the shore. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has secured the hull-shaped metal remains.
The metal debris will be retrieved and turned over for the military's safekeeping and custody. Arrangements for the investigation and search of other possible clues about the debris' origin have also been initiated.
According to the Philippine Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Center (PARCC), currently, there have been no reports of any missing aircraft within the Philippines' flight information region (FIR), as well as its neighboring FIRs.