Sotto welcomes joint PH-China probe of Recto Bank boat sinking
Published Jun 21, 2019 08:11 pm
By Vanne Elaine Terrazola
Senate President Vicente Sotto III welcomed on Friday the proposed joint investigation with China on the Recto (Reed) Bank incident but maintained that the Philippines should still conduct its own probe on the issue.
Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III
(CZAR DANCEL / MANILA BULLETIN) Sotto said a “bilateral” probe between the Philippines and China would be a good addition to the ongoing investigations on the ramming of the Filipino fishing vessel by a Chinese boat in the Recto Bank last June 9. “Pero (But) what we can do is that we can have our own investigation and China can do its own investigation. But for the eyes of the international community, siguro (maybe) it would be good that there will be a bilateral investigation. Okay din 'yon (That's also okay),” he said in an interview in Senate. Sotto said the two countries could also compare the findings of their respective investigations to come up with a better resolution on the issue. On Thursday, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said President Duterte welcomed a joint investigation with China on Recto Bank incident for “an early resolution of the case.” Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles also supported this, having said in an interview Friday that it is a way to assure compensation for the 22 fishermen abandoned by the crew Chinese vessel. But Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin opposed a joint investigation into the issue. “There will be NO joint investigation. China and Philippines will conduct their respective investigations,” Locsin stressed in a tweet. In an earlier post on Wednesday, Locsin said the proposed joint probe “trenches on each other's sovereignty.” Senator Panfilo Lacson lauded Locsin's position. “DFA Sec. Teddy Boy Locsin is just about the only rational soul in the Cabinet having a say on the Recto Bank joint investigation issue. And for good reason. He said, ‘one cannot be a judge of his own case’,” he told the Manila Bulletin in a text message. “The others, Panelo, Nograles, Piñol, I'm not sure,” he added. Lacson, to recall, slammed Panelo for supposedly acting as a counsel to China and finding fault on the Filipino fishermen's account on the incident, which Cabinet officials dismissed as an “accident.”
Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III(CZAR DANCEL / MANILA BULLETIN) Sotto said a “bilateral” probe between the Philippines and China would be a good addition to the ongoing investigations on the ramming of the Filipino fishing vessel by a Chinese boat in the Recto Bank last June 9. “Pero (But) what we can do is that we can have our own investigation and China can do its own investigation. But for the eyes of the international community, siguro (maybe) it would be good that there will be a bilateral investigation. Okay din 'yon (That's also okay),” he said in an interview in Senate. Sotto said the two countries could also compare the findings of their respective investigations to come up with a better resolution on the issue. On Thursday, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said President Duterte welcomed a joint investigation with China on Recto Bank incident for “an early resolution of the case.” Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles also supported this, having said in an interview Friday that it is a way to assure compensation for the 22 fishermen abandoned by the crew Chinese vessel. But Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin opposed a joint investigation into the issue. “There will be NO joint investigation. China and Philippines will conduct their respective investigations,” Locsin stressed in a tweet. In an earlier post on Wednesday, Locsin said the proposed joint probe “trenches on each other's sovereignty.” Senator Panfilo Lacson lauded Locsin's position. “DFA Sec. Teddy Boy Locsin is just about the only rational soul in the Cabinet having a say on the Recto Bank joint investigation issue. And for good reason. He said, ‘one cannot be a judge of his own case’,” he told the Manila Bulletin in a text message. “The others, Panelo, Nograles, Piñol, I'm not sure,” he added. Lacson, to recall, slammed Panelo for supposedly acting as a counsel to China and finding fault on the Filipino fishermen's account on the incident, which Cabinet officials dismissed as an “accident.”