THE Department of Justice (DOJ) disclosed on Tuesday that the issue of compensation for the sinking of Filipino fishing boat F/B Gem-Ver in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) was the main topic at a recent meeting with China’s Bureau of Fisheries (CBF).
DOJ Undersecretary Adrian Ferdinand Sugay said the meeting last Monday (June 7) was attended by members of the Philippine panel, which included the Justice department and the Department of Foreign Affairs as well as the CBF and representatives of the owners of the Chinese fishing vessel.
It has been two years since Chinese fishing vessel Yuemaobinyu 42212 owned by Liang Jin allegedly rammed F/B Gem-Ver in WPS.
The wooden fishing boat F/B Gem-Ver came all the way to the WPS from San Jose, Occidental Mindoro and was anchored in Recto Bank, which is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around 80 nautical miles off the coast of Palawan when the incident happened.
After the Chinese ship reportedly rammed and sank the boat, it allegedly turned off its lights and left the Filipino fishermen floating in the open sea.
A passing Vietnamese fishing boat rescues the distressed Filipino fishermen.
“The discussions were mainly on the matter of compensation for actual and moral damages. The Philippine panel reiterated the claim of the owner and the crew members of the F/B Gem-Ver for compensation for the damage sustained by the fishing vessel, for loss of income, and for moral suffering and mental anguish,” Undersecretary Sugay said.
He added the panel would continue to protect the interest of the 22 Filipino fishermen who are reportedly seeking not more than P19 million as compensation.
“The Philippine panel invited attention to the fact that the crew members of the Chinese fishing vessel, in violation of relevant international conventions and customary international maritime law, failed to extend assistance to persons who were clearly in distress at sea,” Sugay noted
In return, Sugay said, the representatives of the owners of the Chinese fishing vessel undertook to formally inform the owner and crewmembers of the F/B Gem-Ver of their counterproposal.
“Any further meetings will be dependent on the acceptability of the counterproposal,” he added.
On the other hand, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) will coordinate with the DOJ to ensure that the owner and crewmembers of the fishing boat are fairly compensated for all damages sustained as a result of the collision.
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