Son of Taiwan fisherman killed off Batanes to testify

MANILA, Philippines—The main witness for the prosecution will be facing the men accused of killing his father at sea for the first time in court.

Taiwanese fisherman Hong Yu Tzu will be called to the stand at the Batanes Regional Trial Court on Nov. 25 as the Philippine prosecutors’ first witness.

His testimony is expected to show that his father, Hong Shi Cheng, was killed by Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel who opened fire on their fishing vessel in the Balintang Channel off Batanes on May 9 last year.

Assistant Prosecutor Juan Pedro Navera, head of the Philippine prosecution panel, said the Department of Justice (DOJ) was finalizing arrangements to fly Hong from Taiwan so he could take the witness stand when the trial resumes in less than three weeks.

“It will be the first time they will see each other face to face—the suspects and the victim’s son, the surviving witness,” Navera told the Inquirer in an interview.

“It will also be the first time he will learn who shot the fatal bullet,” he said.

Navera said Hong would provide crucial testimony against the PCG men.

“He will basically testify on what he saw during the chase between his fishing boat and the Coast Guard patrol boat,” he said.

“He’s the only available eyewitness to what happened in the Balintang Channel… there were other Taiwanese fisherman on the vessel, but he is the available Taiwanese fisherman we can present,” Navera said.

He said the DOJ was arranging for an interpreter as the witness is expected to testify in Mandarin.

Eight Coast Guard men— Commanding Officer Arnold de la Cruz, Seaman 2nd Class Nicky Reynold Aurello, Police Officer 2 Richard Corpuz and Seamen 1st Class Mhelvin Bendo II, Andy Gibb Golfo, Sunny Masangkay, Henry Solomon and Endrando Aguila—are facing homicide charges in Hong Shi Cheng’s death.

The elder Hong was killed after the PCG officers, then on patrol in Philippine waters off Batanes, allegedly chased and fired at his fishing vessel.

The case frayed ties between Taipei and Manila last year, with Taiwanese authorities at one point warning of sanctions against the Philippines if it failed to bring the case to justice. President Aquino apologized to Hong’s family for the fisherman’s death amid Taiwan’s uproar.

Among the accused, Aguila was identified as having fired the fatal shot. He is the only one of the accused yet to be arraigned and is expected to enter his plea on Nov. 24, the first of the two-day hearing in the Batanes court.

The accused are out on bail but are under the administrative custody of the PCG.

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