The Philippines and China will start on June 2 talks on the compensation sought by the owner and crew members of the fishing vessel Gem-Vir 1, which was destroyed after being rammed by a Chinese fishing vessel in Reed Bank in 2019.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the government has already created a team tasked to talk with its counterpart in the Chinese government.
Guevarra stressed that the Philippine team will be led by the DOJ with representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Agriculture, and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) as members.
Gem-Vir 1 sunk on June 9, 2019 after being rammed by a Chinese fishing vessel in Reed Bank, also known as the Recto Bank, in the West Philippine Sea.
The Chinese fishing vessel fled and left the crew of Gem-Vir 1 stranded until they got rescued and returned to Philippine shores.
The owner and crew members of the Filipino fishing vessel have been seeking over P12-million in compensation over the incident.
The DOJ chief stressed the meetings set June 2 and June 7 were agreed upon during the sixth consultative meeting between the Philippines and China held last Friday, May 21.
“As far as the Filipino fishermen are concerned, it is important that they recover fully their expenses for the boat repair and the income they lost while the boat was under repair,” he said.