Jamaine Punzalan

Article (news)

Bianca Dava

ABS-CBN News

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17446897933621744689792651.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">This handout photo from Police Regional Office 5 shows an underwater drone with Chinese markings recovered in Masbate on December 30, 2024.<br id="isPasted"/> </span></span></span>MANILA — Five underwater drones found by Philippine fishermen were capable of gathering information that could aid in &quot;underwater warfare&quot;, the country&#x27;s military said Tuesday, noting at least one had relayed a signal to China.</div><p>The revelation follows months of confrontations between the Philippines and China in the disputed South China Sea and comes as Manila prepares for large-scale military exercises with treaty ally the United States this month.</p><p>The drones were discovered between 2022 and 2024 in locations &quot;important strategically in the defense and the security not only of the country but for international maritime navigation&quot;, Philippine military officials told reporters at a briefing on Tuesday.</p><p>Their data collection served purposes &quot;beyond navigation&quot;, according to Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, who said the information could be used for &quot;underwater warfare&quot;, detecting threats and testing weaponry below the surface.</p><p>&quot;Based on the technical study of the forensics of the SIM card (found on one of the five drones), the last contact of the card was in mainland China,&quot; said Trinidad, who serves as the navy&#x27;s spokesman for South China Sea issues.</p><p>The Chinese Embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;DUAL&#x27; PURPOSE</strong></div><p>Three of the drones were found off the north coast of Luzon, including two near the Balintang Channel south of Taiwan, Trinidad said. </p><p>Two others were retrieved from what were identified as &quot;critical chokepoints&quot;, one near Masbate Island in the central Philippines and another near the southern island of Mindanao.</p><p>“There is a 55 to 80 percent likelihood that these were deployed by the Chinese Communist Party,” Trinidad said in a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.</p><p>Trinidad said the underwater drones had Chinese markings and components that were made in China.</p><p>One drone had a China telecommunications SIM card, he added.</p><p>“Others had defaced markings to probably prevent reverse engineering or to hide the identity of the source,” Trinidad noted.</p><p>Trinidad said the devices could pose security implications since these can be used to study the country’s underwater terrain.</p><p>“There were CTD sensors or conductivity, temperature and depth sensors,” he said. “All of these information have uses commercially, for scientific research, for academic purposes. They also have dual use for military use.”</p><p>In a forum in Quezon City, the National Maritime Council (NMC) questioned the discovery of the drones in Philippine waters.</p><p>“Why are they here or why were they here? Again, for military and non-military purposes. Again, that is for intelligence gathering whether it’s military or non-military… That’s how far they would like to venture into our territory,” NMC spokesperson Alexander Lopez said.</p><p>The National Security Council, meanwhile, considers the incident as alarming.</p><p>“This really shows the extent of operations in the Philippines. We have arrested several Chinese agents… doing different types of espionage activities, and now, we have this equipment being used also for intelligence,” NSC assistant director general Jonathan Malaya noted.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>BALIKATAN </strong></div><p>The Philippines separately on Tuesday said this year&#x27;s Balikatan, or &quot;shoulder to shoulder&quot;, exercises with their US counterparts would include a test of &quot;integrated air missile defense&quot; for the first time.</p><p>The joint exercises, which will involve approximately 10,000 soldiers, will take place from April 21 to May 9. </p><p>&quot;We are treating exercises as rehearsals. We are implementing a plan that has been planned out in the previous Balikatan and that is what we are going to execute at this time,&quot; said BGen. Mike Logico.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/4/15/us-anti-ship-missile-nmesis-in-philippines-for-balikatan-2025-1414">US anti-ship missile NMESIS in Philippines for Balikatan 2025</a></div><p>AFP chief of staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. this month told troops in northern Luzon that the island would host the bulk of the Balikatan exercises because of its strategic importance.</p><p>&quot;These are the areas where we perceive the possibility of an attack. I do not want to sound alarmist, but we have to prepare,&quot; he said.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/4/14/west-philippine-sea-is-now-on-google-maps-1643">West Philippine Sea is now on Google Maps</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/4/14/ph-asserts-right-in-latest-negotiations-for-code-of-conduct-in-south-china-sea-1426">Philippines asserts right in latest negotiations for South China Sea code of conduct</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS:</strong></div><div><iframe width="1250" height="703" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4dpIN-yNe20" title="China claims Philippines &#x27;fabricated&#x27; cases of Chinese spies | ABS-CBN News" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><iframe width="1250" height="703" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vPI3Y2MK1kY" title="Chinese research vessel spotted off Batanes: PCG | ABS-CBN News" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>forensic analysis conducted in the drones found in Ilocos Norte, Cagayan and Misamis Oriental.</p><div><br/></div><p>“There is a 55 to 80 percent likelihood that these were deployed by the Chinese Communist Party,” Trinidad told reporters in a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.</p>

<p>Five underwater drones found by Philippine fishermen were capable of gathering information that could aid in "underwater warfare", the country's military said Tuesday, noting at least one had relayed a signal to China.</p>

Five underwater drones found by Philippine fishermen were capable of gathering information that could aid in "underwater warfare", the country's military said Tuesday, noting at least one had relayed a signal to China.

Captured underwater drone sent messages to China: Philippine military

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Captured underwater drone sent messages to China: Philippine military

Bianca Dava,

ABS-CBN News,

Agence France-Presse

Published April 15, 2025 12:07 PM PHT

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Updated April 15, 2025 07:57 PM PHT

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