11 Vietnamese poachers charged

MANILA, Philippines - Authorities filed charges yesterday against 11 Vietnamese caught poaching in Taytay town in Palawan on Wednesday.

The 11 Vietnamese were subjected to inquest for poaching in a protected area in the village of Minapla, said Superintendent Osmundo Salibo, chief of Palawan police’s special boat unit (SBU).

“The Vietnamese were charged for violating the Fisheries Code of the Philippines. We are waiting for the commitment order from the court so they can be turned over to the provincial jail,” Inspector Bryan Espinoza, spokesman for the Palawan police’s maritime group, said.

Espinoza said the 11 Vietnamese will also be charged with violating the Wildlife Act for intruding into a protected area in Palawan.

“We will secure a certification from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to support the charges that this site is a protected area,” he said.

Personnel of the SBU arrested the Vietnamese poachers aboard a fishing vessel some 25 miles off Barangay Minapla. Salibo said SBU personnel found the vessel loaded with several fish species, including 54 sharks.

“(Fifty-three of the) sharks weighed about 10 kilos (each) and there was one big shark,” Salibo said.