Department of Agriculture secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol denied that the 22 Filipino fishermen were persuaded to change their story in relation to the Reed Bank incident. Piñol on Thursday called the allegations “unfair” as he dared critics to talk to the Filipino fishermen personally to determine if they were coerced to change their narrative. “Hindi naman ako makapangyarihan. Kung totoong sa paniwala nila talagang ‘yun ang kanilang paninindigan, I don’t think I will be able to persuade them,” Piñol said.

Co, A. S. (2019, June 22). Piñol denies persuading PH fishermen to ‘change tune’ over vessel collision. Panay News, pp. 5, 10.