Body of missing marine watchman recovered

CEBU, Philippines - The body of missing marine watchman Rudy Sultan has been found in the waters off Barangay Day-as, Cordova town.

Cordova police chief, Felix Pacaldo said at around 6:30 a.m. yesterday, his office received a call informing them that a dead body was found in Sitio Parola, Baranagay Day-as. It was already in a state of decomposition.

Sultan, 50, a resident of Barangay Poblacion, has been missing since Monday evening after he was believed to have been attacked by illegal fishermen he arrested with other watchmen during a patrol.

Pacaldo said the body of Sultan was positively identified by his wife Perigrina and other relatives.

Last Monday a patrol team headed by PO2 Charlie Valmoria accompanied by Roseler Cañete, Amad Inting, Chester Sosias and Sultan arrested Noel Lastimada, 35, Ruben Beyaya, 35, Luis Fernandez and Dongcoy Yongco, all of Barangay Pooc.

Valmoria instructed Sultan to escort the boat used by Fernandez and Yongco while he and the others escorted the pumpboat used by Lastimada and Beyaya.

Only Valmoria and his companions arrived in barangay Day-as, while the boat escorted by Sultan never made it to Cordova.

With the discovery of the dead body of Sultan, Pacaldo said they can now focus their attention on the suspects. Although there are reports that Fernandez and Yongco are willing to surrender.

As a result of the incident the provincial government is planning to give insurance to Bantay Dagat members in the province.

Meanwhile, Talisay City police chief Henry Biñas yesterday appealed to the families of Fernandez and Yongco to egg them to surrender to the authorities.

The two suspects turned over a .45 cal. pistol to barangay Pooc tanod Nilo Balorio at around 10 p.m. last Tuesday.

Pooc Barangay Captain Dory Emit said the two had just got off their motorized boat in Pooc when they saw Balorio and handed over the said firearm and left. 

Balorio then called up Emit, who told him to record the incident at the barangay hall.

The said handgun, which contained an empty magazine, is suspected to have been used in the killing of Sultan. The gun is now in the possession of the Cordova police.

Biñas personally visited the wife of Fernandez who said that since the incident her husband has not returned home.

National Bureau of Investigation supervising agent Gregorio Algoso, Jr. said they are ready to investigate the incident if they will be asked, although he said they have to wait for the autopsy to determine what charges to file against the suspects.

Meanwhile, around 175 kilograms of illegally caught fish from northern Cebu were confiscated by a team of Cebu Provincial Anti-Illegal Fishing Task Force during a post market denial operation conducted in barangay Cotcot, Liloan, yesterday dawn.

Five boxes of assorted fishes estimated to cost P12,250 were determined to have been caught with the use of explosives.

The team led by Nathaniel Lucero of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources 7 and personnel of the office of the provincial agriculturist, fish examiners, elements of 78th Infantry Battalion and the police conducted a checkpoint at the national highway of Cotcot.

They were assisted by local Bantay Dagat personnel, members of Barangay Intelligence Network and Barangay Tanods.

At around 12:50 a.m., a fish carrier with license plate number 7DR-540 driven by Danilo Salinas arrived with 25 boxes of assorted fish.

When all boxes were examined, four of the 25 contained dynamited fish called dalagang bukid and rabbit fish or kitong and were immediately confiscated.

Salinas said that he just picked up the cargo at the Bogo port and he did not know the name of the shipper believed to be from Masbate.

Another fish carrier with license plate number GXR-430 driven by a certain Cecilio Estenso was flagged down at around 1 a.m. with a load of 20 boxes of assorted fishes and upon inspection also yielded a box of kitong found caught with the use of explosives.

Out of the five boxes confiscated, three were turned over to barangay captain Lorena Yungco to be shared with her indigent constituents as a Christmas gift from the Capitol.

The other two boxes were turned over to the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center.

The operation was part of the all-out war of the province against illegal fishing in Cebu Province. — Jose P. Sollano, Liv G. Campo, Mylen P. Manto and Gregg M. Rubio/BRP