PHILIPPINE representatives, in a meeting with Chinese counterparts Monday, demanded payment of the P12-million compensation for the owner and crew members of the fishing vessel that was destroyed after it was hit by a China-flagged boat in 2019.
“The Philippine panel reiterated the claim of the owner and the crew members of the F/B Gem-Ver1 for compensation for the damage sustained by the fishing vessel, for loss of income, and for moral suffering and mental anguish,” Justice Undersecretary Adrian F. Sugay told reporters on Tuesday.
The P12-million cost covers the boat’s repairs and related expenses worth P2.97 million, the fishermen’s lost income for six months estimated at P2.94 million, and P6.1 million in moral damages.
“The 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-Ver1 are fairly and satisfactorily compensated for all damages sustained as a result of the collision,” Mr. Sugay said.
He added that “(w)hether or not the parties can still sue each other after payment of compensation, this has to be agreed upon by the parties.”
The meeting was hosted by the Philippine Embassy in Beijing and was attended by representatives from the Philippines’ Justice and Foreign Affairs departments, owners of the Gem-Ver fishing vessel, and members of China’s Bureau of Fisheries. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago