Philippines, China discuss compensation for Gem-Vir 1 fishermen

Representatives from the Philippines and China met on Monday to discuss compensation over the sinking of an anchored Filipino fishing boat in the West Philippine Sea two years ago, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Tuesday.

Justice Undersecretary Adrian Sugay said the Philippine side reiterated the claim of the owner and the crew members of Gem-Vir 1 for compensation for the damage sustained by the fishing vessel, loss of income, and mental anguish.

"The representatives of the owners of the Chinese fishing vessel undertook to formally inform the owner and crew members of the F/B Gem-Vir 1 of their counter-proposal," he said.

"[China's] Bureau of Fisheries, for its part, undertook to coordinate directly with the Department of Justice to ensure that the owner and crew members of the F/B Gem-Vir 1 are fairly and satisfactorily compensated for all damages sustained as a result of the collision."

Last week, the Philippine fishing boat owner's wife decried the delayed settlement for the fishermen.

The Filipino fishing boat was hit by a Chinese trawler while it was anchored at the Recto Bank on June 9, 2019.

The Chinese vessel left the area after the incident, and the 22 crew members of Gem-Vir 1 were left stranded for hours until a passing Vietnamese vessel rescued them.

China said the Chinese vessel had not intended to leave the Filipinos, but was forced to sail away for fear of being besieged by several other Filipino boats near the area.

During the meeting, the Philippines pointed out that the Chinese crew members had violated relevant international conventions and customary international maritime law for failure to extend assistance to "persons who were clearly in distress at sea," Sugay said.

The Philippines is being represented in the negotiations by officials from the DOJ, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.—AOL, GMA News