8 arrested for oil theft in Guimaras

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — Maritime authorities on Thursday arrested eight crew of two pump boats offshore of Barangay Guiwanon in Nueva Valencia town of Guimaras for alleged fuel smuggling, also known here as pa-ihi, according to a PNA report yesterday.

Apprehended by combined forces of the Regional Maritime Unit and the Philippine Coast Guard were crew of M/V Alal Capricorn 3: Ruvy Cajilig, 32, of La Castellana town in Negros Occidental; Hermie Martin Tacardon, 34, of Kabankalan City in Negros Occidental; and ship captain Alan Pineda, of Nueva Valencia.

The M/V Alal Capricorn 3 is reportedly owned by Eduardo Alunan of Bacolod City.

Others arrested crew were from M/V Dodoy: Jeffrey Galve, 39; Diosdado De la Cruz, 42; Henry Macato, 36; Roberto Galve, 29; and Ricky Geraldoy, 47—all residents of Guiwanon in Nueva Valencia.

The maritime law enforcers caught the vessels’ crew while in the act of transferring 15 containers of crude oil from M/V Alal Capricorn 3 and loading these on M/V Dodoy.

The eight crewmen were ordered detained at the lock-up cell of the Nueva Valencia Police station while waiting for the filing of criminal charges for violations of the Anti-Fencing Law. The motor vessels, on the other hand, were ordered impounded by the authorities. —From the wires (FREEMAN)