President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday has sent off five Vietnamese fishermen who were caught poaching in waters off Bolinao, Pangasinan last September. The incident resulted into the deaths of two of the five Vietnamese who were reportedly shot by state troops.
To be sent back home to Vietnam are Pham To, 34, the boat captain; Phan Lam, 34 ; Nguyen Thanh Chi, 49 ; Phan Van Liem, 41; Nguyen Van Trong, 41—also residents of Phu Yen province, Vietnam.
The send-off, held in Sual Wharf in Pangasinan, was in fulfillment of Duterte's promise to Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang during their bilateral meeting at the sidelines of the 25th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit held in Da Nang, Vietnam earlier this month.
Tokens containing hygiene kits and basic goods were given to the five Vietnamese fishermen by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
In his speech, Duterte apologized for the deaths of two Vietnamese fishermen, identified as Le Van Liem and Le Van Reo, by state troops last Sept. 23.
“I hope it will not happen again,” Duterte said, as he affirmed the strong ties between Hanoi and Manila.
The two Vietnamese fishermen were killed when shots were fired from a Philippine Navy ship that chased their fishing boat for poaching last Sept. 23.
State troops chased the Vietnamese fishermen after they tried to evade arrest when caught poaching in Philippine waters.
The foreigners also allegedly fought naval authorities, prompting the Filipino soldiers to fire back.
In November last year, Duterte also led a similar send-off for 17 Vietnamese nationals caught poaching by Philippine authorities in September 2016.