DND exec: Drone found in Masbate can gather data for military use

( JANUARY 2, 2025) FOUND DRONE. Police Brig. Gen. Andre Dizon, Bicol police chief, inspects the alleged submarine recovered in San Pascual town in Masbate on New Year’s Day before it was turned over to the Naval Forces Southern Luzon for proper disposition. Photo courtesy Bicol police
MANILA, Philippines — The underwater drone with Chinese markings that was recovered in the waters off San Pascual town in Masbate can gather information for commercial, scientific, and military use.
Speaking at the Senate’s special panel on Philippine Maritime and Admiralty Zones’ Wednesday hearing, National Defense Undersecretary Ignacio Madriaga said all the information they have right now is based on “open source.”
Sen. JV Ejercito then pressed him to answer whether or not this submersible drone may be used for surveillance, considering persisting disputes in Philippine waters.
“Based [on] open source, it’s a data gathering equipment and all information that this equipment can gather has commercial, scientific, and military use,” said Madriaga.
“Considering the strategic location of the Philippines, all available hydrographic information that can be gathered by any country would be of great advantage to them, specifically based on open source this is gathering salinity, temperature, depth, [and it can also] conduct mapping of the subsurface — all of those are important for any countries that has subsurface warfare capability,” he added.
Article continues after this advertisementAccording to Madriaga, all information this equipment would gather is essential, especially since the Philippines is a gateway to the Western Pacific from the South China Sea.
For his part, Ejercito expressed fear that this information is being used for surveillance purposes, to which Madriaga said it could really be the case.
“Katulad po ng nasabi ko ito ay data gathering, and all data gathered can be considered as intelligence and information that has a multipurpose of use to the military,” said Madriaga.
(Similar to what I said, data gathering and all data gathered can be considered intelligence and information that has a multipurpose use to the military.)
“As far as the defense department is concerned, we are treating it as a national security matter whether it is unarmed, uncrewed, but like I’ve said a while ago, we consider it as a violation of our territory,” he added.
The Department of Foreign of Affairs said it has yet to receive a message from any country claiming ownership of the submersible, but in the same hearing, Philippine National Maritime Group Director Police Brigadier General Jonathan Cabal made certain that the equipment is a Chinese made submersible drone.