By Priam Nepomuceno

Underwater drone found by local fisherfolk off the waters of San Pascual, Masbate on Dec. 30, 2024. (Photo courtesy of PRO-5)

MANILA – The drone recovered off Calayan Island last year contained bathymetric data which can be used in “undersea warfare,” a ranking Philippine Navy (PN) official said on Tuesday.

PN spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, said that based on forensics information gathered, a “deliberate effort is being conducted by a foreign power.”

“All of these have applications in the academic field, in the commercial field, and even in the military field,” Trinidad said in a media briefing.

Trinidad said he sees a subtle effort to map out not only the country’s maritime domain but also the human terrain, political system, and political infrastructure.

Five submersible drones have been discovered so far in various areas — two in Calayan Island in the Babuyan Group of Islands; one in Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte; one in Initao, Misamis Oriental; and one in San Pascual, Masbate in December 2024. (PNA)