YEARENDER: 2013 a difficult year for Philippine Coast Guard

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) found itself sailing through troubled waters in 2013, with a string of maritime disasters and an unpleasant incident at sea.

The biggest challenge for the PCG this year was the implication of its men in a shooting incident that led to the death of a reported Taiwanese poacher at the Balintang Channel in Batanes.

On May 9, 17 PCG men led by Commander Arnold de la Cruz and three personnel from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources were onboard BFAR’s MCS 3001 patrolling the waters around the Batanes group of islands.

Upon reaching Balintang Channel, the PCG spotted two Taiwanese fishing vessels in Philippine waters. One of the vessels was identified as Guang Da Xing No. 28 with four persons onboard.

The PCG announced itself to the Guang Da Xing no. 28, which is a requirement before conducting onboard inspection. The PCG signaled the fishing vessel to stop, but the boat reportedly tried to escape.

The MCS 3001 chased the Taiwanese boat for over an hour, ordering it to stop for routine inspection.

The Taiwanese boat slowed down but when MCS 3001 was about to approach, the boat revved up its motor and allegedly attempted to ram the starboard side of MCS 3001.

The PCG then fired intermittent warning shots at the Taiwanese boat. At one time they aimed at the engine to disable it. It was at this time when Taiwanese Hong Shi-Cheng was hit by a bullet in his neck. He later died.

The shooting incident strained relations between the Philippines and Taiwan after the Taiwanese government imposed a ban on the hiring of Filipino workers.

PCG spokesman Commander Armand Balilo admitted to The STAR that this was the first time in PCG’s 112-year history that the maritime agency was placed in such a predicament.

The shooting incident painted the PCG as an agency with trigger-happy personnel, especially after reports that some of the coast guards involved were laughing while firing shots at the fleeing Taiwanese fishing vessel.

After reviewing the video of the shooting incident, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clarified that the video “negates allegation of laughing by the PCG personnel while they were shooting at the Taiwanese fishing vessel.” One of the PCG personnel only smiled when his rifle jammed.

After a three-month probe, however, the NBI recommended the filing of homicide charges against eight PCG personnel for allegedly violating the rules of engagement. Those charged were De la Cruz, Edrando Quiapo Aguila, Mhelvin Bendo, Nicky Reynold Aurello, Andy Gibb Ronario Golfo, Sunny Galang Masangcay, Henry Baco Solomon, and Richard Fernandez Corpuz.

De la Cruz, Bendo, Martin Bernabe and Marvin Ramirez were also charged with obstruction of justice.

Their case is being reviewed by the Department of Justice.

US ship runs aground on Tubbataha Reef

The year 2013 also brought numerous maritime disasters.

On Jan. 17, the 68-meter-long minesweeper USS Guardian ran aground on Tubbataha Reef while it was transiting from Subic to Indonesia.

The ship damaged 2,345.67 square meters of the coral reef, which was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The vessel was also reportedly carrying 15,000 gallons of automotive diesel oil.

The US government hired salvaging ships to cut the USS Guardian into pieces to extract it from the reef.

One of the problems encountered during the salvaging operations was the weather. Strong winds and huge waves forced salvaging ships and the PCG to stop their operations. It took them 73 days or until March 30 to completely remove the US ship from the reef.

Chinese, Vietnamese boats run aground

But nine days after the successful extraction of the USS Guardian from Tubbataha, the 48-meter-long Chinese fishing boat Ming Long Yu ran aground in the atoll.

At around 11:30 p.m. of April 8, PCG personnel manning the Tubbataha Reef detachment found the F/V Ming Long Yu stuck at approximately 50 meters from the edge of the atoll. There were 12 Chinese onboard led by their captain Liu Chang Jie from Shandong, China.

The Chinese boat reportedly came from Malaysia and was returning to China. It was carrying 80,000 liters of diesel fuel, which were siphoned to prevent it from spilling into the sea. The vessel was removed from the reef on April 18.

However, the accidental grounding of the Chinese boat led to the discovery of another atrocity.

The PCG found 2,912 pieces of skinned anteaters, 34 pieces of snake-like meat, five kilograms of dried seaweed, seven kilos of dried squid, and five kilos of assorted fish in boxes in the cargo hold of the fishing boat. The estimated cost of the shipment was around P8.4 million.

The scaly anteaters, locally called balentong, are a protected species. They are widely hunted in parts of Asia for their meat, skin and scales. In China, they are known as a delicacy and are purported to have medicinal qualities.

They are also found roaming in the wild in the western island of Palawan, the nearest land area to Tubbataha Reef where the Chinese boat ran aground.

The 12 Chinese fishermen were charged with poaching, illegal entry and attempted bribery. They were detained at the Palawan provincial jail in Puerto Princesa City.

The team of scientists hired to assess the damage said that the Chinese vessel destroyed 3,902 square meters of corals, including massive corals which were about 500 years old. This was 66 percent larger than the 2,345.67 square meters damaged by the USS Guardian when it ran aground.

On June 13, another vessel, the Vietnamese cargo ship M/V Unicorn Lodger, ran aground some 80 meters southwest of Sambuan Island Marine Sanctuary in Biliran province, damaging thousands of square meters of corals.

The vessel was reportedly traveling from Malaysia and was heading toward Japan to deliver 1,607 pieces of logs when it hit a shallow area.

Oil spill

On Aug.8, the PCG had to supervise the cleanup of 500,000 liters of diesel that allegedly spilled into the waters of Cavite province, heavily affecting the towns Naic, Tanza, Rosario and Ternate.

The diesel was reportedly being transferred from the M/T Makisig to a pipeline connected to the Petron Terminal in Rosario, Cavite.

The PCG deployed Marine Environment Protection Units and placed oil spill booms to contain the oil already in the water.

Another oil spill incident was recorded in Estancia, Iloilo as a result of Super Typhoon Yolanda on Nov. 8.

At the height of the typhoon, the National Power Corp. barge that was carrying 1.4 million liters of bunker fuel was swept toward a rocky portion of Estancia, causing 200,000 liters of the fuel to spill into the sea, contaminating more than two kilometers of the Iloilo coastline.

The oil spill reportedly affected the health of residents along the coastal barangays, causing some of the people to relocate.

Ships collide in Cebu

The PCG also responded when passenger ship M/V Saint Thomas Aquinas and cargo ship M/V Sulpicio Express 7 collided on Lawis Ledge in Talisay, Cebu.

At 8:45 p.m. of Aug. 16, the 11,405 gross ton M/V Saint Thomas Aquinas that was heading to Cebu collided with the 9,691 gross ton M/V Sulpicio Express 7 that was leaving Cebu and heading to Davao.

Saint Thomas Aquinas sank along the Lawis Ledge after the impact of the collision caused a hole on the rear section of the starboard side of the vessel, while the bow of Sulpicio Express was damaged. Onboard the passenger ship were 870 passengers and crew.

For 39 days PCG personnel, Philippine Navy, technical divers and recreational divers held a massive search and rescue operation to find as many survivors as they could. They found 116 cadavers and 733 survivors.

Missions

The PCG also held search and rescue missions on land, especially during the onslaught of calamities.

Last November, the PCG transported relief goods to Eastern Visayas, Palawan, and Western Visayas that were terribly affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda.

Up to now, three of the PCG vessels – the M/V Nueva Vizcaya, M/V EDSA and M/V Corregidor – continue to transport food, water, used clothing, cooking utensils and aid to typhoon survivors.

Preparing for 2014

To better prepare the PCG for the challenges in 2014, PCG Commandant Rodolfo Isorena said during the agency’s 112th anniversary last October that the PCG would soon acquire an 82-meter vessel, four units of 24-meter patrol crafts from France, and 10 new 40-meter vessels from Japan.

Balilo said the PCG would prioritize the training of its personnel to familiarize them with the operation of the new vessels. The training is being offered by Japan, Canada and the United States.

“The people can expect their Philippine Coast Guard to respond in cases of search and rescue operations, in emergencies and for preventive action. We would also strengthen partnerships with other agencies,” Balilo said.