NOVEMBER 28 araw ng Huwebes namataan ng Western Command ang isang Russian attack submarine sa layong 80 nautical mile sa western portion ng Occidental Mindoro.
Matapos matanggap ang naturang report agad na dineploy ng Philippine Navy ang kanilang assets upang imonitor ang sitwasyon at para masiguro ang seguridad ng teritoryo ng bansa.
Araw ng linggo naman nakaalis na sa teritoryo ng bansa ang nasabing submarine.
Sa isang pulong balitaan araw ng Martes, ipinaliwanag ng Philippine Navy kung bakit lumipas pa ang ilang araw bago isinapubliko ang naturang insidente.
Ayon kay Radm. Roy Vincent Trinidad – tagapagsalita ng Philippine Navy for West Philippine Sea na kaya nila hindi ito ibinalita ay dahil hindi muna nila nilubayan ang nabanggit na submarine hanggat hindi ito nakakaalis sa Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) ng Pilipinas.
“It is because this was a continuing operation we monitored we shadowed we escorted the submarine from 80 nautical miles west of Loban Island all the way up to the outer bounderies of our EEZ upnorth hence the report came after the operation,” Radm. Roy Vincent Trinidad Spokesperson, WPS, PN said.
Sinabi ng opisyal ito aniya ang kauna-unang pagkakataon na mayroong submarine na pumasok sa bansa nang hindi nila alam.
“Yes it is the first time hence our suprice our alarm why there is a submarine in our EEZ previously we have submarines conduct port calls but this are all diplomatic arranges prior to thier arrival,” he added.
Dagdag pa ni trinidad base sa kanilang ginawang radio challenge lumutang ang submarine ng russia para daw magpagasolina.
“We challenge the submarine and they responded appropriately they mention that they came from Kota kKnabalo for an exercise for the Royal Malaysian Navy and where headed to Vladitokrasya,” Trinidad said.
‘’The context of the situation is likely they were thier to recieve fuel to charge batteries in as much as a kilo class and this is an electric submarine or probably to do some minor repair for whatever arrangement they incurred,’’ he said.
Sinabi rin ng opisyal na dahil nakita na nila ang submarine nang itoy lumutang malaki aniya ang posibilidad na matagal na itong nasa teritoryo ng pilipinas.
“We detected the submarines when it was surfaced anything is possible before we detected the submarine while it was still submerge,” Trinidad said.
Sa huli sinabi ng AFP na hindi pa nila ngayon masabi kung ang pagpasok ba ng submarine ng russia dito sa bansa ay may kinalaman sa alyansa nito sa china.
“This is a single incident that could not yet be close on any conclusion on defense ties between china and russia suficeth to say the philippine navy the armed forces will continue monitoring our EEZ,” he added.
