The Zambales provincial government in the Philippines has taken up the cudgels for local fishermen who lost their income when a Hong Kong-based cargo ship hit their fish aggregating device or payao in open sea recently.
Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. said a government legal team will represent the Masinloc fishermen who are seeking to collect damages from the management of the bulk carrier HC Glory, which was about to deliver coal to the Masinloc Coal-Fired Thermal Plant when the incident happened on Jan. 17, 2023.
“We will definitely back up our people in their quest for justice,” Ebdane also said.
“I have already instructed our legal team to represent the fishermen, and the matter has also been referred to the agriculture and legal committees of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Council) to see what further assistance we can render,” he added.
Members of the New Masinloc Fishermen’s Association (NMFA), the group that owns the destroyed payao, are seeking a total of P900,000 in damages from HC Glory, which is operated by the Hong Kong Haichang Holdings Group Ltd.