MANILA, Philippines — Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino said he asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to extend assistance to Filipino fishers who figured in a “hit and run” incident with an unidentified foreign vessel near Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) lin the West Philippine Sea ast July 7.
Tolentino, chairperson of the Senate’s special panel on maritime and admiralty zones, identified the fishermen as Jose and Roberto Mondeñedo.
According to the senator, Roberto survived the incident while Jose remains missing to date.
“Kanina po, kausap ko yung anak nina Ma’am Delia [Jose’s wife] at Mang Jose, [at] kausap ko rin si Roberto Mondeñedo [Jose’s brother who survived the incident]. Nag-usap kami tungkol sa mga pangyayari, at noong isang araw, kausap ko naman ang PCG na gumagawa ng imbestigasyon,” the senator shared in a radio interview, as quoted in a statement released Thursday.
(I was able to talk to Ma’am Delia and Jose’s children, and I also talked to Roberto Mondeñedo. We talked about the incident and I am already talking to PCG who is conducting an investigation.)
“Today, I have written a formal letter to the DOJ and even to the PCG so that Ma’am Delia’s family can be assisted. The search is still ongoing, I hope the search and rescue operation [for Jose] will be successful,” he added.
Apart from financial assistance, Tolentino said he also called for the provision of scholarships for Jose’s children.
Tolentino was the first to disclose the information about a foreign commercial vessel that ran over and destroyed a fishing boat being used by Robert and Jose.
Earlier, Tolentino said that the foreign vessel, whose body bore Chinese characters and was described by Robert as bearing the words ‘Yang Fu’, should be held accountable.