More public vigilance urged after tests on ‘foreign’ drones
Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino on Wednesday called for greater vigilance, following the release of the results of the forensic tests conducted on several submersible drones recovered from different parts of the country in recent months.
“This development should further bolster our efforts to protect the West Philippine Sea and to continue to assert through legal and diplomatic means our sovereign rights over our exclusive economic zones and resources,” he said in a statement.
“The forensic results affirm the initial findings of our Senate probe that this is a national security concern,” added Tolentino, who led a Senate inquiry last January on one such drone that fishermen recovered in San Pascual, Masbate.
Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, the Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said that the forensic investigations done on three of five underwater drones showed that they may have been deployed by China to map the country’s seabed.
According to him, the results were based on analyses of the submersible drones found in Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte, in July 2022; Calayan Island in August 2024; and Initao, Misamis Oriental, in October 2024.
In addition, one of the drones last made contact with someone in China, according to a check of its SIM card.
“What is apparent is that China has been deploying these drones to study our seabed and map out our underwater terrain to gather critical data for scientific, commercial or military use,” noted Tolentino.
Citizens’ action
The senator urged the public to promptly report any suspicious equipment or activities they may come across, especially along the coastlines.
“If you find a drone, don’t tinker with it, don’t sell it or keep it as a souvenir. It is important to immediately notify and turn it over to your local government or police authorities,” appealed the chair of the Senate special committee on maritime and admiralty zones.
He cited the case of the three Masbate fishermen—Jojo Cantela, Rodnie Valenzuela and Jeric Arojado—who reported about the submersible drone they found floating in their municipal waters on Dec. 30 last year.
The three received a commendation from the Senate in recognition of their courage, vigilance and nationalism.
