The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Saturday, April 10, that the result of the investigation on the reported harassment of a Philippine civilian boat by Chinese military vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) will determine the courses of action that it would take.
Major Cherryl Tindog, chief of WesCom's public affairs office, said the probe will focus on the circumstances of the chase down of a motor banca boarded by a television crew from ABS-CBN by two missile-attack craft of Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and a Coast Guard (CCG) ship near Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Reef) in Kalayaan, Palawan.
The Western Command is the unit responsible for all military operations in the West Philippine Sea.
"The investigation is still on-going right now," Tindog told the Manila Bulletin.
Once completed, Tindog said the report will be submitted to the AFP General Headquarters, the Department of National Defense (DND), and the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS)
"It'll be up to them (to take) the next step," she added.
The WesCom official did not mention if there is a deadline set for the completion of the probe.
However, in a separate statement Friday, Tindog said they have already coordinated with the ABSCBN crew, particularly journalist Chiara Zambrano, to provide them with the raw footage and photos of the chase.
"With Ms. Zambrano's collaboration and cooperation, WesCom will be able to establish the circumstances and document the incident so that we can also determine the next course of action," Tindog noted.
The TV crew were supposed to go to Ayungin Shoal, located approximately 105 nautical miles from Palawan, when they were intercepted by a Chinese Coast Guard vessel, according to Zambrano.
The AFP has a military detachment in Ayungin Shoal.
After being challenged, the TV crew decided to return to Palawan but two missile attack craft chased them while they were inside the Philippine exclusibe economic zone (EEZ).
The government has protested numerous times the presence of around 220 Chinese vessels at Julian Felipe Reef in the West Philippine Sea, and in Kalayaan Island Group in Palawan.