By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
Five police officers and three members of Task Force Lawod, a law enforcement division focused on illegal fishing, were suspended by the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman-Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices for three months without pay, following an administrative complaint filed by crew members of a fishing vessel apprehended back in 2014.
According to the case, filed by F/V Aqua King crew members Gerardo Alolod, Noel Hilado, and Robert Despi, they accused Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office personnel Police Superintendent Gabriel Prietos Gutierrez, Senior Police Officer 1 (SPO1) Alfredo Chavez, Police Officer 3 (PO3) Onald Villa, PO2 Albert Juaneza, PO2 Dennis Capatar; and Noel de la Cruz, Neil Francis Gepanago, and Welman Mendones of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office of simple misconduct.
After being arrested for allegedly fishing within a 15-kilometer radius of a prohibited zone between Guimaras and the southern part of Negros Occidental, the fishermen claimed Gutierrez and his fellow officers boarded their vessel, ordering the three to disembark while brandishing their firearms.
According to the complainants, Ramonito Villalon, another crew member, was “forced” to operate the vessel by Chavez, despite not having a proper license or authority to operate. They go on to claim the vessel was navigated to Hinigaran, where Villa, Juaneza, de la Cruz, Mendones, Gepanago, and two others boarded and conducted a search.
Upon returning to the vessel, Despi reported P50,000, kept in the vessel’s cabin, was missing.
The complainants lodged accusations of piracy, coercion, arbitrary detention, and robbery.
The respondents deny the charges and said their actions were “the lawful and regular performance of their duties as members of Task Force Lawod.” They cited RA 8550, or The Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, as their basis for the search.
They explained, the complainants appeared to be in violation of Section 86 (Unauthorized Fishing) and Section 90 (Unregulated Fishing)./DGB, WDJ