2 Malaysian boats intercepted off Palawan

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY—Naval authorities on Monday intercepted two Malaysian-registered boats with 51 foreign nationals aboard in the waters off southern Palawan in what appeared to be a foiled human trafficking attempt that used secluded islets of the province as transshipment points.

The vessels came from the city of Kudat in Sabah, Malaysia, and were apprehended near Buliluyan Island in Balabac at 3:45 a.m., Gov. Abraham Kahlil Mitra told the Inquirer, citing reports from the Naval Forces West.

It was the result of a joint operation of the Philippine Navy and the US-funded Naval Boat Unit that is equipped with fast patrol crafts designed for interdiction, Mitra said.

One of the boats had the identification “ML Rancel.”

Authorities said all the passengers—33 females and 18 males—had no sufficient travel documents.

Naval Forces West Commander Rostum Peña, in a local radio interview, said investigators were looking into reports that the passengers were bound for another destination outside Palawan.

Lt. Col. Neil Estrella, spokesperson of the Western Command, told the Inquirer that he received verified reports that at least a dozen Malaysians had entered the country illegally through Palawan “in the past few weeks.”

“We are probing deeper into this. At the outset, there are indications that certain personalities and agencies may be involved. That is as much as we can determine so far,” Estrella said.

The passengers of the apprehended boats were carrying mere photocopies of their passports, he said. “They were saying their original passports are in Manila undergoing visa processing,” he said.