MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo visited the crew of the Philippine fishing boat sunk by a Chinese trawler off Reed Bank in the West Philippine Sea and provided financial assistance to the fishermen.

Robredo met with fishing boat Gem-Ver 1 owner Felix dela Torre, captain Junel Insigne and some of the fishermen in San Roque, Occidental Mindoro Friday morning, according to an ABS-CBN News Channel report.

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Robredo was the highest ranking government official who visited the crew of Gem-Ver 1 after they survived the ramming and sinking of the fishing boat on June 9. Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi and Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol paid the fishermen visits earlier this week.

The vice president, through her Angat Buhay program, extended P50,000 each to the 22 crew members of Gem-Ver 1. Angat Buhay is the flagship anti-poverty program of Robredo.

Last Sunday, Robredo expressed her “deepest outrage” at the incident and decried the “irresponsible actions” of the Chinese crew who abandoned the Filipino fishermen.

She also called on the Department of Foreign Affairs to demand from Beijing to find the crew members of the Chinese vessel and try them in Philippine courts.

President Rodrigo Duterte, echoing the Chinese foreign ministry, on Monday downplayed the boat sinking as a small “maritime incident.” — Gaea Katreena Cabico