165 fishermen repatriated from Indonesia

GENERAL SANTOS CITY — Some 165 Filipino fishermen who were caught in Indonesian waters for illegal fishing were repatriated here on Saturday.

Marfenio Tan, president of the Socsksargen Federation of Fishing Association and Allied Industries (SFFAAI), said the fishermen aboard F/V New Steel Carrier and F/V Mudah arrived at about 5 a.m. in the city’s international fish port.

"These fishermen were released by the Indonesian government for humanitarian reasons and in the spirit of Christmas," Tan said.

The fishermen, who are mostly residents of the city, and the provinces of Sarangani, Davao del Sur, South Cotabato, and Pagadian City, were welcomed Mayor Pedro Acharon Jr., Lt. Commander Oscar Endona, chief of the city’s coast Guard, fishing magnate Domingo Teng and Rose de Lima, a representative of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

The repatriation was a concerted effort of the officers of the SFFAAI, an umbrella group of fishing groups here, that helped the government lobby for the extension of a bilateral fishing agreement between the Philippines and Indonesia, which officially expired last Dec. 2.