PH Coast Guard files criminal raps vs HK vessel crew

PCG PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard on Monday filed criminal complaints against the shipping company, master and officers of the Hong Kong-flagged cargo vessel MV Vienna Wood over its collision with Philippine fishing boat Liberty 5, which left 14 Filipino fishermen missing.

PCG Oriental Mindoro’s station commander Lt. Valerie Lagua filed cases of “reckless imprudence resulting to multiple homicide and damage to property” before the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office, said PCG spokesperson Commo. Armando Balilo.

Lagua acted as the complainant while PCG personnel, responders, and fishermen served as witnesses, he said.

Respondents in the charge sheet are the following:

1 Zhang Weiwei of Shandong, China
2.Shin Bin of Henan, China
3. Yi Lei of Jillen, China
4. Yang Xileng of Shandong, China.

Fourteen fishermen went missing after the foreign vessel collided with Liberty 5 off the coast of Mamburao town in Occidental Mindoro last June 27.

Balilo said search and retrieval operations for the 14 people missing will be until Tuesday (July 7).

The collision had revived memories of the ramming and sinking of Philippine fishing boat Gem-Ver 1 in the West Philippine Sea last year by a Chinese trawler that abandoned 22 Filipino fishermen in the open sea.

EDV