ILOILO CITY — One was killed while four others were injured during an encounter between the Provincial Bantay Dagat Task Force and crews of a trawl boat off Baliguian Island, the farthest island of Concepcion, Iloilo afternoon of Tuesday.
Raul Banias, chairman of the Provincial Bantay Dagat Task Force (PBDTF), said that the trawl boat captain, Vivencio Espinosa, 40 years old, died during the encounter while his brother, 36-year-old Jonel Espinosa, was wounded.
Also hurt were Rian Celiz and Jerry Espolong and Police Officer 1 Marvin Frech Saturnino of the PBDTF.
According to Banias, the illegal fishers were evading the task force in an operation at sea, and fled while throwing ropes to the water to entangle the propeller of the patrol boats.
The engine of one of the two patrol boats malfunctioned but the other one was able to catch the illegal fishers near Sagay port in Sagay City, Negros Occidental.
There were seven on board the patrol boat — four crewmen, two policemen and one personnel from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Region 6 (Western Visayas).
“They (task force) attempted to board the fishing boat but the crew of the trawl boat put up a very violent fight,” he said.
Banias said that the illegal fishers hit members of the task force with a bamboo pole but they were also armed with bladed weapons.
The task force members, he added, attempted to wrestle with the poachers using the M16 rifle of PO1 Saturnino.
He said the captain of the illegal fishing boat was hit in the neck while his crew was hit in the chest area.
Since some members of the task force were injured in the incident, Banias said that they decided to go back to the mainland of Concepcion and brought them to Sara District Hospital.
Banias said that they immediately reported the incident to Chief Superintendent Cesar Hawthorne Binag, Regional Director of the PRO-6 and Senior Superintendent Marlon Tayaba, Director of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office so they could inform the Negros Occidental police about it. (Cindy Ferrer/PNA)
