The Japanese Embassy is helping the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) get desalinators after BRP Teresa Magbanua’s system was unable to produce drinking water, an official said Monday.

BRP Teresa Magbanua was pulled out of Escoda Shoal last Saturday after five months due damages sustained from the ramming of a Chinese Coast Guard vessel, lack of food and water and for its crew to get medical treatment.

In a press briefing, PCG Spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said they are expecting four sets of desalinators to be sent through DHL this week.

"We have already talked to the Embassy of Japan. They are now helping us procure those additional filters,” Tarriela said.

“First of all, they sent the desalinator through DHL. That's how fast the Embassy of Japan helped us with the filters... They even asked for the address of the headquarters (West Philippine Sea Transparency Office),” he added.

“We also have requested the spare of those desalinator," he said.

He said the PCG reached out to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to procure the desalinators.

According to Tarriela, the prolonged stay of the PCG vessel made the desalination system malfunction.

“What I'm saying is that nobody has ever expected that we're going to have difficulty now in bringing in those supplies and nobody also thought that the prolonged stay of BRP Teresa Magbanua would go to the point that the desalinator machine would also not be functioning well,” he said.

Tarriela said three crew members were diagnosed with dehydration while one other had an attack of gout but they are now in stable condition. Jaspearl Tan/DMS