Philippine Navy official says presence of suspected Chinese drone “not alarming”

An official of the Philippine Navy said the service sees no reason to be alarmed about the recent discovery of an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) of suspected Chinese origin off the coast of Masbate province late last month.

Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, Philippine Navy spokesman for the West Philippine Sea, said the UUV will undergo further analysis. This will help the navy in identifying the craft's actual origin and specifications.

The yellow cylindrical glider-type craft was found by local fishers approximately nine kilometres off Masbate's San Pascual municipality at around 06:00 local time on December 30, 2024. It was later handed over to the navy for proper disposal after an inspection showed that it was not carrying weapons or explosives.

The Philippine National Police had earlier said the UUV had "HY-119" written on its body. Although the actual origin of the craft could not be ascertained, officials said HY-119 refers to a Chinese-developed underwater navigation and communication system.

Trinidad said the UUV's bright yellow colour implied that the submersible was designed to be visible even from the air and that craft with such bright colours are usually employed for scientific research or fish stock assessment.

"So this is not alarming," Trinidad remarked.

However, Rene De Castro, a security analyst and professor at the Philippines' De La Salle University, reiterated that the UUV is a military-grade craft that had likely been used by China for seabed terrain mapping in Philippine waters prior to its discovery.