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January 3, 2026 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The United States Navy’s Seventh Fleet came to the rescue of three distressed Filipino fishermen in the South China Sea (SCS) on New Year’s Day.
Information released by the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet said the crew aboard the dry cargo ship USNS Cesar Chavez found the Filipino fishermen off Bolinao, Pangasinan at around 12:45 p.m. aboard their motorized fishing vessel while transiting the SCS.
“Upon spotting the distressed vessel, watch standers immediately notified the bridge and the ship launched a rigid-hulled inflatable boat to recover the fishermen,” the US Navy said.
“The three individuals, later identified as citizens of the Republic of the Philippines, were brought aboard Cesar Chavez and evaluated by the ship’s medical staff.”
The US Navy said all three fishermen were found to be in good health and Philippine authorities were immediately notified about them.
In a Facebook post, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) identified the rescued fishermen as Michael Lebios, Michael John Lebios and Lorjun Lupague, all residents of Sitio Pocdol, Barangay Cato in Infanta, Pangasinan.
The Filipino fishermen told US Navy personnel that their boat’s engine flooded on Dec. 28 due to heavy seas, leaving them adrift.
They added that they departed port on Dec. 27 and survived on rationed food and water before being located by the USNS Cesar Chavez, at the time en route to Subic, Zambales on Jan. 1.
The US Navy said it “coordinated with Philippine government officials to return the fishermen safely to the Republic of the Philippines.”
The PCG facilitated the turnover of the rescued fishermen from the US navy ship, at approximately 50 nautical miles west of Bolinao.
“The PCG extends its gratitude to the USNS Cesar Chavez for its timely humanitarian assistance and reiterates its commitment to safeguarding the safety of Filipino fisherfolk at sea,” the Coast Guard said.
US: Stop military pressure on Taiwan
Meanwhile, the United States called on China yesterday to stop using military pressure on Taiwan following its conduct of naval and air exercises near and around the island.
US Department of State principal deputy spokesman Thomas Pigott said China should not use force or coercion to disrupt peace in the region.
“China’s military activities and rhetoric toward Taiwan and others in the region increase tensions unnecessarily,” he said in a statement.
“We urge Beijing to exercise restraint, cease its military pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue,” Pigott added.
He stressed that the US “supports peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and opposes unilateral changes to the status quo, including by force or coercion.”
The Philippines, through the Department of National Defense (DND), also earlier expressed concern over China’s military drills near Taiwan.
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. said the DND “is deeply concerned by China’s military and coast guard actions around Taiwan that undermine regional peace and stability, further creating cracks in an already fragile geopolitical environment.”
PCG hits Chinese ship passage
In another development, PCG Commodore Jay Tarriela said China should stop using international law to justify the sailing of a Chinese research ship inside Philippine domain earlier this week.
On Dec. 30, personnel onboard a PCG aircraft spotted Chinese research vessel Tan Suo Er Hao in the seas off Cagayan province.
While in the vicinity, PCG “challenged the vessel’s presence, verify whether it was conducting marine scientific research without prior consent from the Philippine government,” said Tarriela, PCG spokesman on West Philippine Sea issues.
The passage of Tan Suo Er Hao could be compared to “driving on a public highway that international law clearly allows everyone to use,” according to Guo Wei, deputy spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in the Philippines.
Disputing Guo’s statement, Tarriela wrote yesterday that “it is disingenuous to invoke UNCLOS as a shield for innocent passage while conveniently ignoring its fundamental provisions that do not align with your excessive and unsubstantiated claims. – Cesar Ramirez, Ghio Ong
