PCG rescues Vietnamese fishermen in Palawan

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) rescued nine Vietnamese fishermen after their boat ran aground off Palawan last Saturday.

Commodore Enrico Efren Evangelista, PCG Palawan District commander, said they have taken custody of the Vietnamese fishermen who were identified as boat skipper Bui Viet Anh, Bui Quoc Trung, Vo Hung, Pham Quoc Vinh, Nguyen Van Nhon, Levan Khanh, Nguyen Tan, Truong Van Hoang, and Nguyen Van Tri.

“We have been talking with a city prosecutor to determine if a law was violated and if a case can be filed against the Vietnamese. The fiscal in Palawan is still studying the situation and they are now checking on documentary evidence,” Evangelista added.

The Vietnamese reportedly claimed that bad weather drove their fishing boat Qng 95712 to Palawan’s jurisdiction, but Evangelista said they are still verifying the report.

“There is something suspicious going on here. Vietnam is on the west side of Palawan so how come the Vietnamese fishing boat was found on the east side of Palawan?” Evangelista added.

The Vietnamese fishermen would be turned over to the Provincial Committee on Illegal Entrance (PCIE) that handles cases of illegal entry in the province.

The PCG has also alerted the Vietnamese embassy on the incident.

The PCG Palawan District reported that on Feb. 18 the Vietnamese fishing vessel Qng 95712 encountered rough weather that forced the boat to drift to shallow waters of Bowen Island, which is one nautical mile North of Bugsuk Island.

The PCG has to verify if rough seas persisted in the area at the time of the incident.

The vessel reportedly ran aground and the PCG was alerted at 4:30 a.m. on Feb. 19. Evangelista immediately dispatched search and rescue teams to the area.

Initial investigation showed that the vessel sustained no major damages. The ship’s crew could neither speak nor write in English.

On board the ship, the PCG discovered ice and water.

Evangelista said that while the Vietnamese were not caught in the act of illegal fishing in Philippine waters and there were no fish on board, he believed that a more thorough investigation should be conducted.

The PCG said Bugsuk Island is part of the municipality of Balabac. Balabac is approximately 50 kilometers from Sabah and is the gateway of trading vessels coming from Southeast Asia.