THE REED BANK INCIDENT

The Troubling Reed Bank Incident

an “Ordinary Maritime Accident”

Hannah Patricia G. Sorrera

iACADEMY

Author Note

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 THE REED BANK INCIDENT

Abstract

The paper explores four (4) published online articles that report on the incident

that occurred in Reed Bank last June 9, 2019, when a Philippine Fishing Boat was struck

by a Chinese vessel yet was sought to be an “Ordinary Maritime Accident” despite 22

Filipino fishermen abandoned to almost drown.

 THE REED BANK INCIDENT

The Reed Bank Incident

On the 9th of June 2019, A Philippine fishing boat, F/B Gem-Ver 1, was struck by a

Chinese vessel when it anchored Reed Bank. Reed Bank is a large tablemount located

in the West Philippine Sea and North-East of the Spratly Islands—has had a history of

territorial disputes involving several countries, particularly China, the Philippines, Taiwan,

Malaysia, and Vietnam. The Chinese vessel immediately fled the scene and left the 22

fishermen striving to stay afloat for hours until a Vietnamese fishing vessel arrived and

came to their aid. (Talabong, 2019)

It was later denounced by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana along with

Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on the 12th of June 2019. Both condemned the

incident and appointed for an independent investigation and was leaning to file a

diplomatic protest, asserting that the Chinese vessel made a flagrant violation of the

maritime laws by deserting the submerged ship after collision. (Madarang, 2019)

After a little over a week President Duterte’s dismissal of the Reed Bank debacle

as nothing more than an “ordinary maritime incident” struck the public as

uncharacteristic, given that he had previously countered all foreign engagement with

swift and unforgiving counterclaims. The discrepancy is evident in Duterte’s response to

the Canadian garbage controversy. This was met with nothing short of a rampage, with

Duterte all but waging war on Canada and severing most of their diplomatic ties to the
 THE REED BANK INCIDENT

country. On the contrary, once pressed to respond on the possibility of politics having a

deeper involvement in the Reed Bank issue, he rebuffed these claims by seconding

China’s initial response. (Ranada, 2019)

In 2016, China’s entitlement to the West Philippine Sea was invalidated by the

Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague and verbally recognizes the Philippines’

sovereign rights to exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles from land, this is written

under Article 73 of UNCLOS. The international law lines with the 1987 Constitution and the

Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 both reinforcing that we are to exercise rights to the

exclusion of others. But in the current political climate not much has been done to uphold

the sanctity of these laws. (Madarang, 2019)

Despite of these laws proclivity to the Philippines, the People’s Republic of China

relentlessly evade the acknowledged lands of the Philippines for its potentially significant,

but largely unexplored, reserves of oil, natural gas and fisheries. this pays merit to Karl

Marx’s Conflict Theory purporting that society will have relentless conflict due to the

natural disparity. The rich continue to stockpile the limited resources and the poor to

endeavor for them to be able to obtain these resources.

 THE REED BANK INCIDENT

References

Talabong, R. (2019, June 14). Crew of sunken Philippine boat now home . Retrieved from

Rappler: https://www.rappler.com/nation/233071-crew-sunken-philippine-boat-now-

home-occidental-mindoro-june-14-2019

Madarang, C. R. (2019, June 28). Duterte after Reed Bank incident: Checking his views on

Philippines’ rights, duties.

Ranada, P. (2019, June 19). Selective outrage? How Duterte reacted to other foreign affronts to

Filipinos . Retrieved from Rappler: https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/233458-how-

duterte-reacted-other-foreign-affronts-filipinos

Last Name, F. M. (Year). Article Title. Journal Title, Pages From - To.

Last Name, F. M. (Year). Book Title. City Name: Publisher Name.