In the News: That Awful Mess at Reed Bank

I haven’t done one of these in a long time.

Recently, the alleged maritime incident involving a Filipino and a Chinese vessel at Reed Bank (referred to as “Recto Bank” in the Philippines) has been a topic of conversation and controversy on social media and in real life, with people demanding a full investigation and, if necessary, punishments meted out to those responsible.

Reading through the news reports (multiple sources, pick any) right now, this seems to be the generally accepted version of events. On the night of 9 June 2019, the F/B Gem-vir 1, a Filipino fishing vessel commanded by Captain Jun Insigne with 22 crew members onboard, was anchored at Reed Bank northeast of the disputed Spratlys archipelago when it was allegedly rammed by a Chinese vessel. The Chinese vessel turned on its lights and then sailed away, leaving the Gem-Vir 1 damaged and sinking, its captain and crew clinging on to their boat for dear life.

Thankfully two of its crew members managed to reach a Vietnamese vessel identified by the Saigon Times as a fishing vessel owned by one Ngo Van Theng and commanded by Captain Nguyen Thanh Tam, which rescued the crew of the Gem-Vir 1 and gave them food and water until they could be picked up the BRP Ramon Alcaraz, a Philippine Navy offshore patrol vessel, with one crew member staying behind to oversee the towing of the wreckage of their fishing boat.

As this is very much a developing story, it’s possible my mind might change about certain things as more facts come to light. Since I’m a citizen of one of the two countries involved, I might also have some biases that way. Nonetheless, my purpose here is to talk about the controversies and my impressions on how people on Filipino social media reacted, and then to offer a few of my own thoughts at the time of writing (18 June 2019).