The Philippine Navy on Tuesday explained that analyzing the submersible drone recovered by local fishermen in San Pascual, Masbate may take six to eight weeks.
In his latest briefing to reporters, Philippine Navy Spokesperson Commodore John Percie Alcos acknowledged that the equipment may be used for 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,” Alcos said.
The underwater drone is undergoing forensic analysis that will take six to eight weeks to determine its origin, purpose, and technical specifications, according to the Navy official.
Through the Philippine Navy, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is “on top of the situation” and the military is taking the matter “very seriously,” Alcos added.
The submarine drone was found by local fishermen in shallow waters near Barangay Inarawan in San Pascual, Masbate on December 30. It was turned over to the Philippine Navy on December 31.
Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said the yellow underwater drone marked “HY-119” is 3.5 meters long, has a diameter of 24 centimeters, and weighs 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 (is) taking this seriously. A lot of speculation has been going on, but let me state that speculation is no substitute for evidence,” Trinidad said.
Asked if the underwater drone was from China, Trinidad said “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.”
Trinidad also said that this is not the first time that the country recovered this kind of device and it comes in bits and pieces.
“We are concerned that we have this unusual equipment in our waters. It speaks a lot about our capability to secure and to protect our maritime domain,” he said.
