Collision at sea and in social media

CONFIRM IT FIRST. Was it a Chinese vessel that really hit the fishing boat Gem-vir off Recto Bank? While many netizens were quick to blame the Chinese, a former coast guard official is calling for them back off for a while and let the investigation proceed.

The former official said it is so easy to quickly blame the Chinese, considering the tension between the Philippines and China over Beijing’s nine-dash line.

However, he also said the Chinese should pay if indeed it was one of their vessels that struck and abandoned the Gem-vir.