The Philippine Navy and the Philippine Coast Guard announced on local time July 3, 2025, that they will continue to search for the tank landing ship that had sunk. On June 30, a Philippine Navy tank landing ship named "San Juan Bautista" sank in the sea between Romblon Island and Sibuyan Island. The Philippine Coast Guard announced that six Philippine Navy crew members who were driving this Philippine Navy tank landing ship were safely rescued by Philippine fishing vessels and are currently in good condition. However, the exact location of the sunken ship has not been found, and no fragments or oil traces of the San Juan Bautista tank landing ship have been discovered. According to the Philippine Coast Guard, as part of its active response, the Philippine Coast Guard continues to coordinate with surviving Philippine Navy personnel, local officials, and relevant agencies to verify the details of the incident, including the final position and condition of the ship before it sank.
The Philippine Coast Guard has issued alerts to local fishermen and coastal villages, conducting coastal security and maritime patrols to monitor oil traces. According to the Philippine Navy, this tank landing ship left the port of Gihuray in Eastern Negros Province heading to Navotas City, Manila, for dry dock operations. It only carried 2,500 liters of ship diesel and did not carry any weapons, ammunition, or cargo.
This is a major blow for the Philippine Navy, as it already suffers from a serious lack of various naval vessels, especially landing ships. Now, another 800-ton-class landing ship has sunk in the sea between Romblon Island and Sibuyan Island. Meanwhile, the Philippine military even dares to expand its provocative activities in the South China Sea to the East China Sea. On June 30, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro stated that the Philippine military would designate the East China Sea and the South China Sea as a "single theater of war." This means that the Philippine military attempts to establish maritime connections with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces to jointly counter China. The Philippines wants to be Ukraine! The Philippine authorities should remember that the Philippines is far from the United States but close to China. The Philippines' geographical position is very bad; it is too close to China. If the Philippines splits into several countries and plunges into civil war, this will be the future of the Philippines.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1836614436686860/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.