The 22 Filipino fishermen and owners of Philippine fishing boat Gem-Ver will finally receive their long-awaited compensation from the operator of the Chinese vessel that rammed, sunk, and abandoned them in the West Philippine Sea in June 2019.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra confirmed this to Rappler on Thursday, April 28, after negotiations between the two parties were finally concluded, nearly three years since the ordeal nearly cost the Filipino fishermen’s lives.
“The parties have agreed to settle for a P6-million compensation to our fishermen and this settlement is ready for implementation,” Guevarra confirmed.
The agreed amount is much less than the P12-million civil damages estimated by the fishermen and justice department following an assessment done from July to August 2020. The initial amount covered expenses for the repair of the fishing vessel, loss of income, wages for six months, and moral damages.
Since Gem-Ver’s sinking in 2019, the captain of the ship, Junel Insigne and other crew members had drifted apart, while several more crew members had been forced to find other ways to make a living since the coronavirus pandemic hit the Philippines.