The PCG commander in the substation in Masinloc, Zambales said they still do not know what the buoys are for, but Chief Petty Officer Torres suspected these were used by the Chinese in Scarborough Shoal and ran adrift.
Fishermen in 10 bancas from Barangay Sto. Rosario, Iba discovered the 150-meter buoy at 6 a.m. Friday and towed it until 2 p.m. of the same day or for about eight hours to reach the fishing village.
The 700-meter long containment boom was towed for 14 hours by fishermen in nine bancas from San Agustin, also in Iba from 2 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Saturday.
Barangay Captain Raul Calimlim of Sto. Rosario said the steel pipe is two inches thick and 126 inches in outside diameter. A fisherman tried to embrace the steel pipe but his stretched hands reached only one-half of its diameter.
The big steel pipes have colored orange floaters.
Manny Navora of Sto. Rosario and Allan Limuado of San Agustin said they found the big and long steel pipes with floater drifting on the water some 10 miles away from Iba. “This is far from Scarborough Shoal which is about 100 – 110 miles),” the two fishermen said.
“We thought of selling it so we towed it for eight hours with the hope of buying engines and bancas,” said Navora, adding “it was so heavy that 10 fishing bancas pulled it.”
The fishermen asked government to kindly repay them for their sacrifices. “We hope government will help us have engines and bancas,” Navora and Limuado said. “The engines of our bancas were damaged in towing it,” Limuado said.
