Bantay Dagat volunteers of Daanbantayan town, north Cebu yesterday sought the dismissal of the case filed against them by two commercial fishing boat captains whom they took into custody last year.
Seven members of the group named “Migo sa Iho” yesterday went to the Cebu Provincial Prosecutors’ Office and filed a motion for reconsideration to contest an earlier ruling, which recommended the filing of slight illegal detention charges against them.
Their lawyer, Mary Joan Dulhao, said only one of the respondents, Servidio Pañares, took part in the operation against illegal fishing led by former Capitol security chief Loy Madrigal.
“And even if these respondents joined that operation, there was no illegal detention that happened,” said Dulhao in an interview.
She clarified that the respondents, as members of the Bantay Dagat in Daanbantayan, have the authority to conduct operations against illegal fishing.
“There was no intent to detain the complainants. What was done was just to bring them to the police station for the filing of appropriate complaint,” Dulhao explained.
Fishing boat captains Rogelio Forrosuelo and Donato Villaceran were arrested last Aug. 26, 2015 for allegedly using the illegal fishing method of “hulbot-hulbot” (Danish Seine fishing) in municipal waters off the coast of Kinatarcan Island.
Forrosuelo and Villaceran eventually filed counter-charges against the respondents and Madrigal for piracy and serious illegal detention.
Prosecutor Ferdinand Collantes earlier dismissed the charges of serious illegal detention and piracy against the respondents.
But he recommended the filing of slight illegal detention in court against the respondents.
“I hope the respondents won’t undergo the ordeal of staying in jail in the event charges will be filed against them in court,” Dulhao said.
Aside from Pañares, the other respondents were Titing Rubio, Danilo Rosales, Junior Micarsos, Onle Anislagon, Oscar Conje and Bobby Monterde.
Madrigal was also impleaded in the complaint but another lawyer is handling his case.
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