Fishers take case to next DFA chief
FISHERMEN (from left) Teody Baisa, Nelson Plamiano and Arlon Sandro show a note, given by a Malaysian Navy personnel, warning them against fishing near the Rizal Reef. ALLAN MACATUNO / INQUIRER CENTRAL LUZON
SUBIC, Zambales—Fearful that their complaint had fallen on deaf ears, the three fishermen who were detained and mauled by Malaysian Navy personnel, appealed to incoming Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay to take the Malaysian government to task for the incident at sea three weeks ago.
Nelson Plamiano, Teody Baisa and Arlon Sandro, all residents of this coastal town, said they have exhausted all legal means to punish 20 Malaysian Navy personnel for beating them up on May 9 after they were detained for illegal fishing.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced recently that the Malaysian government would prosecute people found guilty of harming the fishermen.
This was relayed by outgoing Foreign Secretary Jose Rene Almendras during a May 26 television news program.
“[But] no one from the DFA has personally reached out to us to relay the reported efforts of Malaysian government to address our complaint,” Plamiano told the Inquirer on Saturday.
“We are asking incoming Secretary Yasay to look into our case once he assumes his post. We hope that our government would push the Malaysian government to keep its promises,” said Baisa.
Plamiano said, “We were happy to learn about the statements of DFA but we’re starting to lose hope because no one has directly talked to us to assure us that the Malaysian government is taking our complaint seriously.”
Baisa said they sought the assistance of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines in Zambales to help them pursue civil and criminal cases against those who assaulted them.
He said they also plan to go to the DFA office in Manila to urge the agency to file a diplomatic case with the Malaysian government.
Malaysian maritime policemen claimed the Filipinos illegally entered Malaysia’s territorial waters, southwest of the Philippines.
But the Filipinos said that they were still within the territorial waters of the Philippines, about 17 nautical miles from the Rizal (Commodore) Reef, when the Malaysians arrested them.
The fishermen were detained in a Malaysian ship where they claimed they were mauled.
The fishermen said they have not sailed back to the area. “We are still waiting for instructions from the DFA and the Philippine Navy. We’re also hoping for definite actions from our government soon,” Sandro said.
Rescued fisherman
Meanwhile, a fisherman from this town who had been missing near the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal since May 23, returned home in Barangay Calapandayan on Saturday after he was rescued by a fishing boat.
Larry de los Santos, 24, had been adrift at sea for two weeks when he was seen by crew members of fishing boat Rose Marie, said Luisito Cerezo, member of the town’s Bantay Dagat (coast watch).
“[De los Santos] was rescued by a group of fishermen from this town. Thankfully, he is in good health,” Cerezo said.
De los Santos lost contact with his fellow fishermen while fishing about 24 kilomters from the shoal, said Dionifer Basillote, boat captain of FB Al Francis.
Basillote said he and his other crew searched for De los Santos for two days but they could not find him.
Basillote said they stopped the search and returned home on May 26 because they were running out of fuel.
De los Santos’ fishing boat ran out of fuel but he fought off starvation by stretching the food he had on board until he was rescued, Cerezo said.
