Philippines-China relations

Gem-Ver fishermen seek P12 million from Chinese ship owner

Sofia Tomacruz

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Gem-Ver fishermen seek P12 million from Chinese ship owner
The 22 fishermen and owners of Philippine fishing boat Gem-Ver are finally closer to receiving aid more than a year since a Chinese vessel rammed and sunk their boat in the West Philippine Sea

The fishermen of Philippine fishing boat Gem-Ver are seeking an estimated P12 million in civil damages from the Chinese whose vessel rammed, sunk, and abandoned them in the West Philippine Sea last year, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said on Thursday, September 17. 

In an interview with CNN’s The Source, Guevarra said the amount consisted of expenses for the repair of fishing boat Gem-Ver, loss of income, wages for 6 months, and moral damages. 

“So the total estimated civil damages will be something like a little more than P12 million,” Guevarra said, adding the justice department recently submitted the estimated amount to the Department of Foreign Affairs. 

Guevarra told Rappler the estimate had been completed sometime around July to August.

Last June, the justice secretary instructed the provincial prosecutor’s office nearest the place of residence of the fishermen in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro to gather the “necessary information.”

“We’re expecting the DFA [Department of Foreign Affairs] to forward this to the Chinese government side and we’ll just be waiting for the reaction of the Chinese government on the matter of payment of these civil damages,” Guevarra said. 

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Why does this matter?

The 22 fishermen and owners of Gem-Ver have not received any compensation from the Chinese over a year since the boat’s crew were left for dead near Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea.

The ship rammed the anchored boat in the middle of the night and abandoned the Filipino fishermen to the elements. 

The Filipino fishermen were later saved by a Vietnamese fishing about after two of the Gem-Ver crewmen rowed for hours in search for help on the night of June 9, 2019. 

The Duterte government had been slow to help the Gem-Ver fishermen in claiming compensation offered by the owner of the Chinese ship in a public apology to the fishermen on August 28, 2019. The apology was made on the same day President Rodrigo Dutere was set to leave for China for an official visit, where he was scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

After spending about P2.1 million on repairs, the Dela Torre family – who are Gem-Ver’s owners – had hoped any damages they could claim would stop their financial bleeding. 

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Impunity at sea

The sinking of Gem-Ver was one of the biggest crises to hit the Duterte administration. The event put a spotlight on his policy on the West Philippine Sea and tested his vaunted strong ties with Beijing.

It’s also been one of the most heated issues in the maritime area since the Scarborough Shoal standoff in April 2012 that prompted the Philippines to file – and win – its historic case against China. – Rappler.com

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Sofia Tomacruz

Sofia Tomacruz covers defense and foreign affairs. Follow her on Twitter via @sofiatomacruz.