Gem-Ver yet to receive compensation: DOJ

MANILA – The Department of Justice (DOJ) said there is no final agreement yet on the compensation for the wooden-hulled Filipino fishing boat F/B Gem-Ver1 that was rammed by a Chinese trawler two years ago.

DOJ Undersecretary Adrian Sugay said in a statement on Sunday that discussions are still ongoing on the reported PHP6-million settlement, substantially lower than the PHP19 million earlier sought by boat owners and fishermen.

“Until these (negotiations) are completed, it might not be advisable to make any statements on the amounts involved,” Sugay said.

Last month, the Department of Foreign Affairs said the DOJ will lead talks on the incident that happened near the Recto Bank where 22 Filipino fishermen were abandoned in open seas after their vessel was rammed by steel-hulled Yuemaobinyu 42212.

Vietnamese fishermen rescued the Filipinos and turned them over to the Philippine Navy ship BRP Ramon Alcaraz.

Gem-Ver1 came from San Jose, Occidental Mindoro on May 29, 2019, or 11 days before the collision.

The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative in Washington said in a study that Yuemaobinyu 42212 may have been sent to the disputed waters on enforcement duty but the Chinese maintained it was a mere accident.