Gem-Vir 1’s owner: We’re asking for justice, not war vs. China

The owner of F/B Gem-Vir 1 which figured in the Recto Bank incident said Tuesday that they are asking for appropriate reparation, not war against China.

“Hindi po gyera hanap namin, ‘yung managot ay ‘yung barkong bumangga at danyos sa mga nasira at panahon na nasayang,” Fe Dela Torre, wife of the fishing boat’s owner, told GMA News Online in a text message.

This was a reaction to President Rodrigo Duterte’s recent remarks about the “maritime incident” on June 9 where a Chinese fishing vessel hit and sank F/B Gem-Vir 1 carrying 22 Filipino fishermen in Recto Bank (Reed Bank).

“Well I’m sorry but that’s how it is. It is a maritime incident. Little in the sense that there was no confrontation, there was no bloody violence,” Duterte said at an event in Mandaluyong City on Monday.

“Kung gusto mo gumanti, that is not a reason to go to any military exercise there. 'Pag ginawa mo ‘yan, giyera ‘yan,” he added.

The fishermen said their boat was intentionally rammed by a Chinese vessel and the latter's crew left them at sea. A Vietnamese vessel rescued them then turned them over to the Philippine Navy's BRP Ramon Alcaraz.

The Chinese Embassy, however, said the Chinese fishing vessel Yuemaobinyu 42212 was "berthed" when seven or eight Filipino fishing boats "besieged" it. In the process of shunning a Filipino boat, the Chinese vessel bumped into the Gem-Vir 1. The Chinese government maintained it was an accident.

Following a meeting with Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol, FB Gem-Vir 1 boat captain Junel Insigne said he was no longer sure about what had exactly happened at sea.

Boat repair

Dela Torre said efforts to repair the badly damaged FB Gem-Vir 1 have been stalled due to lack of enough funds.

“Hindi pa po nagagalaw o nare-repair kasi po wala pang sapat at wala pa pong tulong para po sa pagre-repair,” she said.

Dela Torre’s family and the crew aboard F/B Gem-Vir 1 previously said that damage and losses from the incident cost P2 million.

Last week, the Department of Agriculture donated 12 fiberglass-reinforced plastic boats to the affected fishermen. They also received 45,000 in cash and scholarships for their children.

The families of the affected locals said they were grateful for the livelihood assistance they received which they can use in municipal waters, as they try to recover from the incident.

The fishermen, on the other hand, said they still hope F/B Gem-Vir 1—their mother boat—will be repaired soon so that they can venture out to the high seas again.

China recently proposed a joint investigation into the ramming incident.

Duterte’s spokesperson Salvador Panelo said on Saturday said that the President has accepted the offer.

“A joint and impartial investigation will not only promote the expedient resolution of the issue, it will also be in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which places paramount emphasis on the use of peaceful means to resolve international disputes,” Panelo said.

“We are demanding justice for our countrymen, and we are using all legal means toward that end,” he added. —KG, GMA News