Recruitment for Palawan fishing mission halted

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines — Anti-human trafficking authorities in Negros Oriental have intercepted at least four undocumented persons that appeared to be recruited for a fishing expedition in Palawan, along with more than two hundred others.

The four men, whose identities authorities did not disclose, were found on Wednesday evening “hiding” inside the F/B Anatalia, which was docked at the Tandayag Port in Amlan town to pick up the recruits en route to Palawan.

Representatives from the Department of Labor and Employment, the Coast Guard and a non-government organization involved in anti-human trafficking, had conducted a pre-departure inspection of the boat on Wednesday evening.

During the said activity, the authorities ordered the offloading or disembarkation of everyone from the fishing boat and during inspection, found that the four men were inconspicuously situated at the rear portion of the vessel, said Romualdo Señires, partnership and advocacy officer of the Visayan Forum, Inc.

Because of this, the law enforcers did not clear the vessel for sailing that evening and ordered the four men, some reportedly from Siquijor, to return to their home towns or provinces.

It was discovered that some of them had “questionable” documents such as alleged tampered birth certificates, Señires said.

On Thursday evening, the same team from the DOLE, Coast Guard and the VFI again conducted a final pre-departure inventory of the recruits and their papers, as well as physical inspection of the F/B Anatalia before it could set sail from the Tandayag wharf.

A total of 250 men were all verified and cleared. No minors were found in the group, Señires disclosed.

A pre-departure orientation was also held at the Tandayag wharf before the recruits were allowed to board the fishing boat under close scrutiny by the Coast Guard, the DOLE and the VFI, to make sure that no minors or other undocumented workers could sneak past, he added.

The F/B Anatalia was finally cleared around 1 a.m. and allowed to leave the port of Tandayag in Amlan town.

According to Señires, the 250 recruits came from Negros Oriental, Siquijor and some parts of Cebu.

They will be out at sea on a ten-month fishing expedition, he went on to say.

Their employer was identified as the Phil Mariners Aqua Ventures Corporation with the Sto. Rosario agency conducting the recruitment for the workers, Señires said.

This is the second interception for authorities in Negros Oriental this year to foil an attempt to recruit and hire fishing operations workers without the necessary documents.