Vice President Leni Robredo has expressed support for calls to investigate and seek accountability over the sinking of a Filipino fishing boat hit by a Chinese vessel in Recto Bank in Palawan on Sunday. “I fully support the call of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Department of National Defense for this incident to be investigated and those responsible held to account,” she said in Filipino in a post on Twitter on Wednesday night. “On our Day of Independence, let us show courage and dignity, especially if the welfare and freedom of our people are on the line,” she added. Earlier on Wednesday, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana condemned the incident upon learning that the Chinese vessel fled, leaving the 22 Filipino fishermen “at the mercy of the elements” as their boat sank. Vietnamese fishermen arrived and rescued the Filipinos.

Mateo, J., Diaz, J., & Felipe, C. S. (2019, June 14). Leni, senators call for probe on Recto Bank incident. The Philippine Star, p. 9.