A FISHERMAN was gunned down by personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Friday night, March 26, 2021, off the coast of Barangay Logon, Malapascua Island in Daanbantayan.
Rolex Casebo, a resident of Sitio Sta. Cruz, Barangay Antipolo, Medellin town, was already dead when he was brought to a public hospital in the town.
One of the suspects, Seaman 1st Class Jayson Hermoso de Padua, 32, who served as the PCG’s detachment commander in Barangay Logon, has surrendered to authorities following the incident
Along with him, Seaman 2nd Class Christian Amorade, 30, was also detained.
De Padua claimed to police that Casebo was gunned down after he was suspected of conducting illegal fishing in Barangay Logon.
Police, however, are still verifying De Padua’s claim.
Senior Master Sergeant Noel Belicario, investigator of the Daanbantayan Police Station, told Superbalita Cebu that they initially received the report on the shooting incident from their colleagues in Medellin town.
Belicario said upon receiving the report, he and his fellow investigators immediately coordinated with the PCG’s detachment in Barangay Maya, Daanbantayan, who in turn, contacted their detachment in Logon.
A few hours after contacting Logon, De Padua and Amorade immediately surrendered to police.
Based on De Padua and Amorade’s account, they were conducting a patrol in the coastal waters of Barangay Logon onboard their jetskis.
While they were patrolling, they claimed they saw a bright light coming from two pumpboats carrying fishermen who were conducting illegal fishing in that area.
The two PCG officers called the attention of the fishermen onboard but to no avail.
To scare them away, one of the two, who was carrying a gun, discharged his firearm.
The move had the desired effect as the two fishing boats hastily fled the area. They added they even found fishing nets that were abandoned by the group.
De Padua and Amorade thought their job was done when upon patroling again, they saw the same group conducting illegal fishing in another area.
De Padua and Amorade claimed that the pumpboats attempted to ram their jetskis.
Seeing that their lives were in danger, one of the two PCG officers took out his pistol and fired warning shots, not realizing that they already hit Casebo, who was with the fishermen.
Following the incident, De Padua and Amorade quickly returned to their detachment to immediately file a report.
But members of the fishing crew, who were led by a certain Gary Deiparine, went to the Medellin Police Station to confront the PCG officers who shot Casebo.
Deiparine denied the PCG officers’ claim that they were illegal fishermen.
He claimed that he and 18 of his fellow fishermen were just hauling their nets when two men onboard jetskis and not carrying flashlights suddenly fired upon them.
Out of fear, Deiparine and his crew took their fishing boats away from the area.
Belicario said the two PCG officers claimed that Deiparine and his group were using an illegal fishing method called “Pa-ulpit.”
Separately, Kendrick Allen Lim, who claims to be the operator of the two fishing boats, also denied that his men were illegal fishers.
Police will conduct an autopsy on Casebo’s corpse to determine how many wounds he incurred.
Meanwhile, Casebo’s family has expressed its intention to file charges against the two PCG officers. (GPL / JKV)