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'Simple maritime incident' at Recto Bank 'blown out of proportion: Agri chief

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/news/06/17/20190614-china-ship-20.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>Rescued Filipino fishermen sit inside Philippine Navy ship BRP Ramon Alcuaz as they head back to shore at Occidental Mindoro province, Philippines on Friday June 14, 2019.<em> AP/handout</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA -- The sinking of a Filipino boat hit by a Chinese vessel is &quot;a simple maritime incident&quot; that is being blown &quot;out of proportion&quot;, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said Monday. </p><p>The Filipino vessel was anchored near Reed Bank -- claimed by both Manila and Beijing -- when it was rammed by a Chinese vessel, causing it to sink and leaving 22 crewmen &quot;to the mercy of the elements,&quot; Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana earlier said. </p><p>The fishermen &quot;have no complaint&quot; against President Rodrigo Duterte, who has yet to make any public comment on the issue, Piñol told ANC. </p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZbA-kraqRYA?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>&quot;I don&#x27;t know why the President should be dragged into this issue. In our perspective at the Department of Agriculture, this is just a simple maritime incident which should be handled at our level,&quot; said the official. </p><p>&quot;I don&#x27;t understand why people are blowing this out of proportion,&quot; he added. </p><p>Piñol noted that some social posts have claimed that the incident was orchestrated to raise tensions between the Philippines and China, a theory that he rejected as a &quot;figment of the imagination.&quot; </p><p>The Agriculture Secretary earlier Monday spoke with the owner of the boat and its cook, Richard Ablaza, who was the only crew member awake before the allision. </p><p>&quot;I don&#x27;t doubt his statements because what would his agenda be in telling lies? I believe that statement of the fisherman,&quot; said Piñol. </p><p>&quot;Whether the ramming was intentional or accidental, that is a matter that should be investigated,&quot; he added. </p><p>Two of the fishermen earlier said they reached about 2 hours to reach a Vietnamese vessel who rescued them and their companions. </p><p>The capsized boat&#x27;s owner said she lost P700,000 worth of goods and an investment of P500,000, according to Piñol. </p><p>Duterte has largely set aside the once tense stand-off with Beijing over the resource-rich waterway, as he pursued investments from the world&#x27;s number 2 economy. </p><p>But last month, he criticized Beijing&#x27;s assertive stance over the sea, saying &quot;I love China... but it behooves upon us to ask, &#x27;Is it right for a country to claim the whole ocean?&quot; </p><p>Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang on Thursday called the incident &quot;an ordinary maritime traffic accident.&quot; He said it was irresponsible for the Philippines to &quot;politicize the incident without verification.&quot;</p><p>Competing claims over the South China Sea are a point of regional contention because trillions of dollars of goods pass through it, and rich petroleum reserves are thought to sit deep beneath its waters. </p><div><strong>With a report from Agence France-Presse </strong></div>

<p>The sinking of a Filipino boat hit by a Chinese vessel is "a simple maritime incident" that is being blown "out of proportion", Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said Monday. </p>

The sinking of a Filipino boat hit by a Chinese vessel is "a simple maritime incident" that is being blown "out of proportion", Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said Monday.