Palawan execs’ demand stalls release of 122 Sino fishermen

The scheduled release of 122 Chinese fishermen detained on poaching charges in Palawan went pfft yesterday after the provincial authorities insisted that they also pay $100,000 for each of their six apprehended vessels.

And this seemed to have frustrated Chinese Embassy officials in Manila. "(Our) patience is running out. They promised to release them two months ago. It seems endless and we are frustrated about this," one official said.

The Chinese fishermen have been detained for more than eight months now after they were caught poaching off Palawan.

China earlier yielded to the Philippine proposal that the fishermen would plead guilty and pay a $50,000 fine plus P244,000 and that the six vessels would be confiscated.

"This is already a severe punishment for them. That is too much," the Chinese Embassy official said.

"If they are asking too much from the poor fishermen, then they are putting an obstacle to the settlement of the case which will (become) complicated again," the official added.

The Chinese fishermen were not freed from detention yesterday after they refused to give in to the Palawan authorities’ demand.

Earlier, Justice Secretary Hernando Perez had a tussle with Chinese Ambassador Wang Chungui, irked by the envoy’s insistence on the immediate release of the fishermen.

Perez even asked the Department of Foreign Affairs to declare the envoy a persona non grata for "undiplomatic" behavior. Malacañang, however, stepped in so as not to strain relations between the Philippines and China.