Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources director Asis Perez points to a map in Manila on May 10, 2013, showing where a Philippine fisheries patrol vessel manned by the coast guard shot at a Taiwanese fishing vessel the day before near Balintang island in the northern Philippines. The Philippine coastguard admitted on May 10 that its personnel shot at a Taiwanese fishing boat in an incident that left a crewman dead. 蜜桃工作室 FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines鈥擳he Philippine Coast Guard on Wednesday shrugged off an Inquirer report that the National Bureau of Investigation had recommended the filing of criminal charges against its personnel who were involved in the shooting death of a Taiwanese fisherman in northern Philippine waters last month.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not yet final,鈥� Cmdr. Armand Balilo, spokesman for the Coast Guard, said, adding that the Inquirer report, based on an interview with a source who had knowledge of the NBI investigation of fisherman Hung Shih-chen鈥檚 death, 鈥渋s not official.鈥�
The source, who asked not to be identified because he had no authority to talk to the press on the matter, said the NBI had submitted its report on the investigation to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.
Balilo said the Coast Guard would 鈥渨ait for the official communication on the matter from the NBI.鈥�
Seventeen coast guards have been interviewed by the NBI and by a team of investigators from Taiwan on the fatal shooting of Hung during a high-speed chase off Balintang Island on May 9.
Shooter identified
The Inquirer source said the NBI investigative report contained the names of the coast guards who fired at Hung鈥檚 boat, the Guan Ta Hsin 28.
The report also names the coast guard who fired the 7.62mm bullet that killed Hung, the source said.
The shooter was identified through ballistic tests on his M-14 rifle matching the weapon鈥檚 signature with the gun signature on the slug recovered from Hung鈥檚 body during the autopsy.
The Inquirer source did not say what criminal charges would be brought against the coast guards, just saying that the investigators considered murder, because of the use of superior force against an unarmed civilian.
But the investigators also considered homicide, the source said, because the killing of the fisherman was not premeditated.
Last week, Rear Adm. Rodolfo Isorena, Coast Guard commandant, said his command was waiting for the results of the NBI investigation.
Isorena said the Coast Guard would respect the NBI鈥檚 findings.
Charge poachers, too
鈥淚f our men are found to have violated the Coast Guard rules of engagement, then they would have to face the consequences of their actions,鈥� Isorena said.
But Sen. Gregorio Honasan warned Malaca帽ang about the implications of prosecuting the coast guards.
Honasan said the government should also press Taiwan to hold liable its citizens who encroached on Philippine waters, leading to the shooting death of Hung.
鈥淚f we鈥檙e going to hold our own personnel liable, what鈥檚 the culpability of the Taiwanese poaching in our own waters?鈥� he said.
鈥淲e鈥檙e treading dangerous waters here. We might set a bad precedent. What about our own interests?鈥� he said.
Honasan said the incident that led to Hung鈥檚 death could happen again if Taiwanese poaching in Philippine waters continued.
鈥淚f Filipinos are caught poaching in Taiwanese waters and are shot at, do you think we will be given reciprocal treatment?鈥� Honasan asked.
Fisheries deal
The Philippines cooperated with Taiwan in the investigation of Hung鈥檚 death, which sparked a major diplomatic row between Manila and Taipei.
Taiwan demanded an apology from the Philippine government, compensation for Hung鈥檚 family, the arrest and punishment of the shooters and the initiation of fisheries talks between the two countries.
To pressure Manila to comply, Taipei froze new jobs in Taiwan for Filipino migrant workers and suspended tourist travel to the Philippines and economic and cultural exchanges between the two countries.
Honasan said a fisheries agreement was a way of legally dealing with poaching in each side鈥檚 territory.
鈥淭hat is a positive and practical solution,鈥� he said.
But the NBI鈥檚 recommending the prosecution of the coast guards involved in the May 9 incident could affect the morale of Coast Guard personnel.
The vessel involved in the shooting death of Hung, the MCS-3001, joined other Coast Guard vessels in Independence Day ceremonies at Manila鈥檚 South Harbor on Wednesday.
The vessels blew their horns to 鈥渟ymbolize their commitment to the command鈥檚 mandate to protect our coasts and marine resources,鈥� Balilo said.鈥�With reports from Norman Bordadora and Kristine Felisse Mangunay
Originally posted at 07:31 pm | Wednesday, June 12, 2013