Chinese officials want detained fishermen released

From ABS-CBN (Apr 10): Chinese officials want detained fishermen released

Two Chinese officials visited on Wednesday the 12 alleged poachers who were caught in the restricted waters of Tubbataha Reef.

Consul General Shen Zicheng and 3rd Secretary Li Jian of the Chinese embassy met with officials from the Western Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to request the release of the 12 fishermen, a dzMM report said.

The WesCom, however, said it has no authority to decide on the release of the 12 alleged poachers, whose 500-gross ton vessel ran aground at the reef before midnight on Monday.

The Tubbataha Management Office (TMO) said the 12 Chinese nationals arrived in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan at 8:30 a.m. on board the Philippine Coast Guard vessel 3503.

The alleged Chinese poachers are facing charges for violating sections 19 (Unauthorized Entry), 20 (Damages to the Reefs), 26 (Destroying, Disturbing Resources), and section 27 (Poaching by Foreigners) of the Republic Act 10067 or the Tubbataha Act of 2009.

They also allegedly attempted to bribe marine park rangers with US$2,400, or roughly Php99,000. The TMO said the attempted bribery was in violation of Article 212 (corruption of public officials) of the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines.

The marine park management said various agencies are working together to expedite the filing of charges against the fishers. These include: the Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Navy, Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Western Command, Bureau of Customs, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Municipality of Cagayancillo.

The TMO said the illegal fishing charges will be the primary case against the twelve.

"The violation of Section 27 (Poaching by Foreigners) of the RA 10067 is the primary case to be filed before the close of working hours today," the TMO said.

Commodore Enrico Villanueva, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) – Palawan District Commander, earlier said that while no fish or marine life were found inside the Chinese vessel, the fishing gear inside it can already be used as evidence in the illegal fishing charges.

The TMO said the vessel was the 7th Chinese vessel caught in the restricted waters since 2002. The last incident, involving F/V Hoiwan, happened in 2006.

The latest incident in Tubbataha comes nearly three months after a United States Navy minesweeper, the USS Guardian, ran aground and damaged at least 2,345 square meters of protected reef.

The Philippines is seeking P58 million ($1.4 million) in compensation.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/04/10/13/chinese-officials-want-detained-fishermen-released