The fishermen involved in the Recto Bank incident should file an insurance claim to receive compensation from the Chinese trawler that rammed their boat, Malacañang said Monday.
The Palace made the statement a month after the 22 fishermen of Gem-Ver 1 received an apology from the operator of the Chinese trawler that rammed and damaged their fishing vessel that was anchored at Recto Bank on June 9.
Meanwhile, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said President Rodrigo Duterte still trusts the Chinese government despite its several commitments that have hardly materialized.
“The President still trusts them, Panelo told reporters.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. had previously said the perception that China had been helping the government’s economic and infrastructure development was mainly on paper.
The 22 crew men, left adrift in open water for hours until they were saved by Vietnamese fishermen, have yet to receive compensation for their damaged boat.
Their livelihood also suffered since they failed to immediately go back to fishing due to their damaged boat.
What the fishermen have received so far is a used fishing vessel donated by a Chinese businessman as reported by another newspaper.
“Now with respect to that, isn’t it the Chinese government that said we have to file an insurance claim? That is why they should and they should file, Panelo said.
“They won’t just give something, of course, the shipping company has an insurance.”
The Guangdong Fishery Mutual Insurance Association, which counts the owner of the Chinese trawler as a member, apologized on Aug. 28 on behalf of the vessel owner.
It has also requested the Filipino fishermen to seek compensation based on their loss.
“I think for now they have received several help and assistance coming from various sectors. But they should file an insurance claim,” Panelo said.
It was established during the exchanges with the Chinese officials that the boat from China’s Guangdong province was not part of Beijing’s maritime militia and that the June 9 incident was an “accident.”
President Duterte had also downplayed the incident as a “little maritime accident.”
The collision, however, sparked anti-China sentiments among Filipinos, with some calling for the invocation of the Mutual Defense Treaty.
After the June 9 incident, Duterte said he had granted access to China in 2016 to fish within the country’s exclusive economic zone.
The deal drew criticisms because the 1987 Constitution says Filipinos should exclusively enjoy the marine wealth within the territory of the Philippines.