More raps filed vs alleged coral smuggler

Zamboanga City—Government prosecutors have filed more charges against Joe Pring and others reportedly involved in the smuggling of endangered marine species.

Regional State Prosecutor Ricardo Cabaron said Pring and Vicente Wee Sr. were charged on Thursday with violating the fisheries code, citing raids on their establishments in 2005 and 2007.

It was the second case for Pring, who was charged last week with trading in illegal marine products after tons of endangered sea corals were seized from his Uan Huat Trading warehouse here.

Pring, husband of trader Olivia Li of Li and Lim Trading, is also known as Joe Ping, Li Yu Ming, Lee Nguyen Ming and Lee Nyu Ming.

Prosecutors said banned marine species were recovered from Wee’s warehouse in Sta. Catalina village in 2005 and from Pring’s warehouse on Magay Street in 2007.

The prosecutors, however, were mum on why the charges for the alleged crimes committed more than four years ago were filed only now. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) had reportedly submitted the complaints in 2008.

Prosecutors Gladdy Bernabe and Alfredo Jimenez Jr. said they would make the explanations when the Senate, which is investigating the massive smuggling of endangered marine species from this city, asks them to testify.

Cabaron said there was no other explanation besides the fact that their hands were full with other cases and that the regional prosecutor’s office was undermanned.

He said there were only seven prosecutors working on big cases, which he did not specify.

“Maybe we erred in our priorities but we were also handling other big cases and we lacked the necessary manpower,” Cabaron said.

Meanwhile, Pring and Li appeared to have left the city.

Since Thursday, the Senate’s sergeant at arms has been trying to locate the couple to no avail.

Senior Supt. Edwin De Ocampo, acting city police chief, said “it appears they have already left the city.”

De Ocampo along with the Senate’s sergeant at arms went to four locations—including Barangay Tetuan where the couple was staying, but they were nowhere to be found. Julie Alipala, Inquirer Mindanao