MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo has personally thanked Vietnamese Ambassador Ly Quoc Tuan for the help extended by Vietnamese seafarers to the 22 Filipino fishermen left at sea after their boat was rammed by a Chinese vessel on June 9.

During the meeting at the Office of the Vice President on Wednesday, the two discussed the Philippine-Vietnamese ties and the rescue of the fishermen.

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“If you listen to the stories, they were really very thankful to the Vietnamese. They kept on repeating that were it not for them, they would have died already,” Robredo told Ly.

“Thank you in behalf of, not just in behalf of the fishermen, but in behalf of the people of the Philippines,” she added.

Last June 12 — Independence Day — Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana confirmed that the local fishing boat Gem-Vir 1 collided with a Chinese vessel. Robredo backed an investigation on the incident, even as President Rodrigo Duterte dismissed it as just a ‘little maritime accident.’

READ: China fishing vessel sinks Filipino boat after ‘collision’ in West Philippine Sea

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READ: Robredo backs probe into sinking of PH fishing boat

Officers from the Office of the Vice President said Robredo and Ly also talked about Vietnam’s economy, the agriculture sector, and the Philippines’ healthcare policies. (Editor: Eden Estopace)

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