MANILA, Philippines — The ramming of a suspected foreign crude oil tanker on a fishing boat that killed three Filipino fishermen was an accident, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) declared yesterday. “As far as the initial information we have right now, we can say it was not deliberate,” said PCG spokesman for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela. He added the PCG has yet to confirm the identity of the commercial vessel that hit the Filipino fishing boat. He also revealed some operators and owners of fishing vessels lack coordination with government agencies on where they would fish. FFB Dearyn captain Dexter Laudencia and crewmen Romeo Mejico and Benedicto Olandria died after drowning, while 11 other crewmembers survived.
