MANILA, Philippines- Sinabi ng Philippine Navy nitong Martes na ang underwater drone na narekober sa katubigan ng San Pascual, Masbate ay posibleng ginagamit para sa military applications.
“While initial observations suggest that it may be a submersible used for scientific research or fish tracking, alternative perspectives point to possible military applications,” pahayag ni Philippine Navy spokesperson Commander John Percie Alcos sa isang press briefing.
Sumasailalim ang underwater drone sa forensic analysis na aabutin ng anim hanggang walong linggo bago matukoy ang pinagmulan, gamit, at technical specifications, base kay Alcos.
Sa pamamagitan ng Philippine Navy, ang Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) ay “on top of the situation.”
Natuklasan ang submarine drone ng mga lokal na mangingisda sa mababaw na katubigan malapit sa Barangay Inarawan sa San Pascual, Masbate noong December 30. Itinurn-over ito sa Philippine Navy noong December 31.
Sinabi ni Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad na ang yellow underwater drone ay may markang “HY-119” at habang 3.5 meters, diameter na 24 centimeters, at bigat na 94 kilograms.
“Equipment such as these are used for gathering bathymetric data, such as water temperature, the depth of water, and salinity. As mentioned, the AFP is on top of the situation and taking this seriously. A lot of speculation has been going on, but let me state that speculation is no substitute for evidence,” wika ni Trinidad.
Nang tanungin kung ang underwater drone ay galing sa China, inihayag ni Trinidad na “open source would tell us the manufacturer. But again this will not amount to anything. We need hard scientific evidence to say where this came from and what are the other parameters around its presence.”
“For military purpose po yan. Siguro for operation, tinitingnan siguro ‘yung underwater terrain for submarine operations po,” pahayag naman ni security analyst Rene De Castro. “For submarine warfare, hindi ko na ho kinagugulat ‘yan, kasi talagang mainit ang ulo ng Tsina sa atin.”
Bagio ito, sinabi ni Trinidad na narekober din ng Philippine military ang “bits and pieces” ng parehong equipment sa Pacific Ocean sa panig ng bansa sa nakalipas na dalawang taon. RNT/SA
