Philippine Coast Guard claims Chinese vessel hindered recovery of deceased fisherman's remains

The Philippine Coast Guard has recovered the body of a Filipino fisherman who suffered a medical emergency and died while out at sea on Monday, January 27.

An initial report stated that the victim, a 58-year-old male, experienced difficulty in breathing and expired shortly afterwards while he and his companions on the fishing boat El Kapitan were off the coast of Zambales province on Monday.

The coast guard multi-role response vessel (MRRV) BRP Cabra, which was also in the area at the time, responded to the call for help and manoeuvred alongside the fishing vessel to recover the deceased victim and transport his remains to shore even as the area was experiencing rough sea conditions.

Commodore Jay Tarriela, coast guard spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said in a post via X that a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel with the hull number 3304 continually shadowed Cabra during the recovery effort, thus hindering the operation.

Tarriela remarked that the CCG vessel engaged in shadowing "despite being aware of the distress call from the Filipino fishermen."

The coast guard subsequently deployed the MRRV BRP Teresa Magbanua to conduct patrols in the area off Zambales as Cabra sailed for the former US Naval Base in Subic Bay in Zambales with the deceased fisherman on board.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila has yet to issue a statement on the CCG vessel's involvement in the recovery operation.