Two suspected illegal fishermen from Tabaco City were injured when police officers on a seaborne patrol fired at two of them near midnight of Friday off San Andres town when the latter tried to throw a lighted explosive at the law enforcers.
According to the report sent by police chief Maj. Robert Kevin Caparroso, personnel led by PSSg. Garry Manlangit together with PSSg. Emmanuel Cante, PCpl. Jomar Primo, San Andres municipal agriculture technician Sandy Solero, and Bantay Dagat members Felipe Gianan and Rolando Lazado conducted a seaborne patrol along the waters of the town at around 5:46 PM of March 15, 2024.
At about 11:30 PM, at the sea between Cabcab and Bislig, the team caught five men in the act of using an air compressor as breathing apparatus in gathering marine products.
PSSg. Cante was attempting to attach their motorized banca to the suspect’s boat by throwing a rope with an anchor at the latter but it missed.
Due to the rough seas, Gianan, who was operating the banca, accidentally fell overboard.
The suspects then took an improvised explosive contained in a bottle, lighted it and tried to throw it at the police officers’ banca, prompting the lawmen to fire at the suspects.
Fortunately, the explosives fell and exploded on the water.
Two of the suspects were not as lucky and sustained gunshot wounds in their lower extremities.
The alleged illegal fishers from Tabaco City, Albay were later identified as Jason Borjal Fernandez, 29, of Hamorawon; and Edison Barrameda Fernandez, 23, Tirso Barsaga Bongat, 34, Albert Bisco Fernandez, 29, and Leonard Santa Ana, 30, all of San Roque.
Bermas sustained a gunshot wound on his upper right leg and, after his arrest, was brought to the Eastern Bicol Medical Center for treatment.
The other fisherman, Albert Fernandez, did not need hospitalization for the wound on his left foot.
Aside from the “Baby Shien” motorized banca, the other items confiscated from the suspects were a set of air compressor, hose, five fishing paddles, styro box, “bugiw” fish, and two bottles of improvised explosive made of ammonium nitrate and kerosene.
The seaborne operation was the first significant mission undertaken by the Catanduanes police in the campaign against illegal fishing in seas around the island province this year.