MANILA, Philippines (Updated 3:37 p.m.) — It took nearly three years, but the 22 fishers of FB GemVer, the boat that was sunk by a Chinese vessel and abandoned at sea, will finally get their compensation.
"I confirm that there has been a final settlement of the damage claims of the Gem-Ver fishermen against the owners of the Chinese vessel," Guevarra told reporters in a message.
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"The agreed compensation is P6 million. I understand that the owner of FB Gem-Ver will receive the amount on behalf of the fishermen and himself," he added.
The compensation is just half of what prosecutors set in September 2020.
Back then, they set P12 million or nearly $250,000 as payment to the fishermen to cover repair costs, lost income and civil and moral damages.
No other details on the settlement are available at the moment.
Justice Undersecretary Adrian Sugay also confirmed that the “parties have reached an agreement” but declined to give more details.
“The [Department of Foreign Affairs] will issue an official statement on the matter in the coming days,” he added.
A Chinese vessel hit the GemVer on June 9,2019 and left the Filipino crew in distress. The GemVer crew was rescued by a passing Vietnamese vessel.
The incident drew public outrage in the Philippines despite President Rodrigo Duterte playing it down as a "little maritime accident".