De Lima thumbs down joint PHL-Taiwan probe on fisher's death

There will be no joint Philippine-Taiwan investigation on last week's killing of a Taiwanese fisherman who was allegedly illegally fishing in Philippine territory, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said Thursday.

"Malabo iyon,” De Lima told reporters. “I don’t think we can agree to a joint-investigation because we’re a sovereign country. We have our own processes. We have our own justice system."

The 65-year-old Taiwanese fisherman was shot dead Thursday last week after he and his companions allegedly threatened to ram their vessel to a Philippine Coast Guard vessel. Taiwan has demanded an apology from the Philippines for the incident.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), an agency under the Department of Justice (DOJ), has been tasked to investigate the shooting to determine who should be held liable for the fisherman's death.

"Nagko-conduct na nga tayo ng sarili nating imbestigasyon," De Lima said. "We would not want na may magi-interfere sa imbestigasyon na 'yan ng NBI."

De Lima also said the Taiwan government could not just send its investigators to the Philippines to conduct an investigation. "Hindi na sila puwedeng pumunta dito basta-basta. They have to go through certain channels. They have to make the appropriate request."

Protocol

She said it would be "protocol" for the Taiwanese investigators to channel their request through the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), the Philippines’ representative office in Taiwan that was established in 1975.

De Lima also said the Philippine government is already taking "preliminary steps," by coordinating with the MECO, to send NBI agents to conduct interviews as well as an occular investigation of the Taiwanese fishing vessel.

De Lima said the NBI fact-finding team seeks to determine what triggered the shooting and who could be held liable for the incident. "Bakit may namatay? Aalamin exactly kung anong nangyari and determine ang culpability or liability. Sino pwede kasuhan, criminally or administravely," she said.

De Lima said even without any request from Taiwan, it was the Philippine government's "obligation" to investigate the shooting incident, and that an independent body like the NBI should lead the probe.

Eyes on PHL Coast Guard

De Lima also said that the firearms of the Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources personnel manning the vessel had already been turned over to the NBI for ballistics examination.

The NBI has already obtained a list of the Coast Guard personnel involved in the incident.

"I confirm that indeed this investigation is of the highest priority among the current assignments of the NBI," De Lima said, adding she has instructed the bureau to refrain from giving the public "piecemeal" information about the progress of the investigation due to its sensitivity.

No deadline has been set for the investigation.

On Wednesday, the NBI requested the Coast Guard to turn over the firearm used in the shooting that killed the Taiwanese fisherman.

The Philippines has already apologized for the incident, but it failed to satisfy Taiwan, which imposed a slew of sanctions, including a freeze in the hiring of Filipino workers and a red travel alert discouraging travel to the Philippines. — Mark Merueñas/KBK, GMA News