Abuse on the high seas

Recruited from Cebu and Bohol, at least 76 enslaved fishermen rescued off southernmost tip of Palawan

Some of the fishermen rescued by authorities in Palawan listen to Chad Estella, chief of the Cebu Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office, as he explains the dynamics of the ‘pa-aling’ fishing method which they were made to do. The fishermen, from Cebu and Bohol, were taken to Balabac in Palawan by their recruiter and employer. (CDN PHOTO/ JUNJIE MENDOZA)

Authorities in Palawan on Tuesday rescued at least 76 fishermen who were allegedly forced to work without pay in commercial fishing boats owned by a Cebu-based fish trader.

The fishermen – 26 from Cebu and over 50 from Bohol – were allegedly exposed to a dangerous fishing method known as pa-aling and were physically abused by their employers, Senior Insp. Ma. Theresa Macatangay, head of the Regional Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force, said.

The Cebuano fishermen arrived in Cebu City at around 2 p.m. yesterday and were escorted under heavy guard by police and provincial officials to a hotel where they are temporarily housed while the fishermen from Bohol were taken back to their home province.

Macatangay said the fishermen were rescued in the town of Balabac in the southwesternmost part of Palawan last Tuesday. The Palawan Provincial Police Office then coordinated with the Palawan provincial government which in turn called its counterpart in Cebu through Provincial Administrator Mark Tolentino.

Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III immediately coordinated with Inter-agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) and some non-governmental organizations, including the International Justice Mission, to assist the victims in filing appropriate charges against their employers who are reportedly from  one of the cities in Cebu.

Davide and Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale, co-chairman of the Cebu Provincial Women’s Commission, will hold a press conference today where they are expected to reveal more details.

Charges will be filed against at least two people for violating Republic Act 9208 otherwise known as the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, particularly on the provision against “forced labor and slavery.” And since the offense was deemed committed in large scale or against three or more persons, it falls under qualified trafficking—a non-bailable offense.

The identities of the owner of the boat and the person who recruited the fishermen  were kept under wraps as authorities are still investigating the cases.

“For the moment, we continue to listen to the stories of the fishermen so that we can have a clear picture of what really happened to them,” said Prosecutor Liceria Lofranco-Rabillas, who is a member of the regional IACAT.

Prosecutor Ma. Theresa Casiño, a member of the IACAT, spoke to the rescued fishermen and gave them assurances that the government will protect them.

“There are laws that will protect you. And we are here to help you,” Casiño said.

She said the fishermen disclosed that they were not given salaries for at least two months and that they were not allowed to go home.

“Your employers promised to give you good salaries. But you were deceived. You were not given salaries despite the fact that you have families to support,” the prosecutor told them in Cebuano.

Initial investigation revealed that the fishermen were employed to engage in pa-aling in which big nets are cast on coral reef areas. The fishermen were made to dive for up to 30 meters underwater would herd schools of fish into the net.

Pa-aling, which has been considered by the government as one of the most dangerous fishing methods, has been widely practiced in the Philippines after muro-ami — a fishing method where coral reefs are pounded to drive away fish — was banned following a massive campaign against the practice in the 1990s.

Several local environmental groups, such as the Palawan-based Environmental Legal Assistance Center (ELAC), have been pushing for the nationwide ban on pa-aling, saying it is risky for divers and can reduce an area’s fishing stock by 10 to 20 percent.

In a phone interview last night, Magpale said a fishermen had sought the assistance of the government after they were allegedly exploited by their employers.

Magpale said the provincial government is willing to provide whatever assistance they can to the fishermen.

Senior Insp. Macatangay urged the community to work with the government and law enforcers in fighting all forms of human trafficking.

“The menace of human trafficking does not choose victims—male or female, child or not. This crime exploits the vulnerability of persons,” she said.