PCG men slam raps ‘for doing their job’

From the Manila Standard Today (Jun 13): PCG men slam raps ‘for doing their job’

COAST Guard personnel who were involved in the fatal May 9 shooting of a 65-year-old Taiwanese fisherman suspected of poaching are demoralized over reports that investigators will recommend the filing of criminal charges against them.

“Like one of them said, they’re doing this for the country,” said Coast Guard chaplain Cdr. Jude Thadeus Besinga. “They could have turned their backs and looked the other way, but we stood our ground.”

Reports of impending charges after a probe by the National Bureau of Investigation were having a demoralizing effect on the Coast Guard, Besinga said.

“They are saddened and traumatized by charges that they were not disciplined, when that is one thing that the Coast Guard are into,” he said.

The chaplain said the Coast Guard personnel were also worried about what would happen to their careers and their families, including children who were questioned by their classmates about the shooting incident that triggered a diplomatic row with Taiwan.

Besinga said the Coast Guard personnel were still hoping for a favorable development even though investigators seemed poised to recommend criminal charges against them.

“Who knows? In the end, maybe people will appreciate what they did,” Besinga added.
Coast Guard spokesman Cdr. Armand Balilo refused to comment on the possibility of charges.

“We should wait for the official announcement of the NBI,” he said.

He said the 11 Coast Guard personnel involved attended the Independence Day flag ceremony at the agency’s main headquarters in Port Area, Manila.

“They are part of the Coast Guard. That’s why they’re here. It is their duty to attend the flag raising,” he said.

Balilo said the Independence Day is very meaningful for the Coast Guard because aside from the traditional challenges, this is also the time they commemorate their involvement in international enforcement.

“People should not forget what we did in Bajo de Masinloc, our duty in Tubbataha…

The people did their job under rough conditions and they did what they had to do,” he said.

Coast Guard commandant Rodolfo Isorena ordered the 11 Coast Guard personnel relieved after the May 9 shooting.

The Coast Guard claimed they fired at the Taiwanese fishing vessel to stop it from ramming them. The Taiwanese denied their account and accused the Philippines of murdering the Taiwanese fisherman, Hung Shih Cheng.

Also on Wednesday, Senator Gregorio Honasan said the Aquino administration should be very careful in dealing with the alleged NBI recommendation to charge members of the Coast Guard for the killing of Hung.

Honasan, re-elected to the Senate last month, said it was clear that the Taiwanese were poaching on Philippine territory.

The senator also urged Malacañang to make clear its policy on territorial rights towards China and Taiwan.

Honasan also called for a review of the RP-US Mutual Defense Treaty, saying the United States does not seem to be helping the country in its territorial dispute with China.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/06/13/pcg-men-slam-raps-for-doing-their-job/