In a news forum in Quezon City, PCG Commander Jay Tarriela said PCG has been ordered to inspect all dredging vessels following the recent discovery of Chinese nationals in one of the ships in Mariveles, Bataan.
“I won’t be discussing the custody ng ating mga nakuhang Chinese nationals,” Tarriela said during the forum on Saturday.
“But I would like to share with everyone [that] because of this incident [in Bataan], the commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard has directed all our Coast Guard stations (covering) Manila Bay from Coast Guard Station Cavite to Coast Guard Station Manila, Zambales and Bataan na paigtingin ang pag-i-inspect dito sa mga dredge vessels na ‘to na nag-o-operate dito sa Manila Bay,” he said.
“[We were also ordered] to board them and ensure na walang Chinese national sa mga barko na ito,”he added.
Tarriela said they reported the incident to the National Task Force for the West Philippines Sea (NTF-WPS) and to the NTF-WPS Secretariat to share the information to all other government agencies.
The PCG discovered the presence of Chinese nationals in a dredging vessel when it boarded the ship last Nov. 26 in Mariveles, Bataan.
The vessel was supposed to proceed to San Felipe, Zambales to conduct dredging operations when nine Chinese were discovered among the crewmembers during the pre-departure inspection by PCG.
“When we conducted a more detailed inspection sa barko, may nakita pa kaming apat na nakatago na Chinese national. So, in total, there were 13 Chinese nationals na na-discover namin sa barko,” Tarriela said.
Tarriela said dredger vessels must be registered with MARINA. They are supposed to be manned by Filipino crew, he added. The dredger ship involved is operating in Manila Bay without declaring the presence of Chinese nationals, he bared.
Authorities also discovered that the shipping agency has no dredging permit to proceed to San Felipe, Zambales, Tarriela said.
“So, it goes to show na patung-patong talaga ang mga issues na dapat kaharapin nitong shipping agency na ito,” he added.
Tarriela said the PCG also reported the incident to the Bureau of Immigration (BI) for appropriate action and to hold the ship owners responsible. (PND)
