Lost U.S. Navy drone causes uproar in the Philippines

A small, orange Navy drone appeared on the shore of a small island in the Philippines. Although the U.S. states it was used "for nothing more than training purposes, at least one official in the South Pacific county expressed doubt," according to The Blaze.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - "The drone was unarmed and used for the naval exercise Valiant Shield 2014 which took place Sept. 15-23 off the coast of Guam, a U.S. territory," stated the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines in a statement.

"The aerial target does not carry weapons and is not used for surveillance. The BQM-74E [serial number] Aerial Target is used by surface ships and aircraft during exercises to help train our sailors in a realistic environment that provides the best possible training. During the exercise, all aerial operations were conducted in international airspace or with appropriate coordination and approval in Guam airspace."

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However, members of the Philippines legislature see it differently.

Terry Ridon, of the Philippines legislature, suspects the drone was "surveying the area" to inspect their oil assets. "We fear that the U.S. military is exploiting the growing tension in the Philippine Sea to deploy spy planes and warships in our territory," he said in an article for The Blaze.

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"This issue should not pass unnoticed," expressed Ridon. "This is our national sovereignty being trampled right under our noses. Foreign military operations in our seas and skies, even in the guise of support, should be condemned rather than tolerated."

The lonely drone was taken to a nearby police station away from fearful locals.

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