Trafficked Bohol fishermen bare ordeal in Tawi-Tawi

By: Philippine News Agency

TRINIDAD, Bohol - Twenty-two fishermen, including a teenager, from the towns of Bien-Unido and President Carlos P. Garcia (Pitogo) were lured by sweet promise of bountiful earnings from fishing in faraway Sitangkay, Tawi-Tawi province in southern Mindanao but it turned out to be a nightmare, said Diosdado A. Pera in an interview.

The promise was so tempting that the alleged recruiter who made the offer, one Policarpio Mantos of Cataban island-barangay off Talibon town, generously provided them cash advance in the amount of P10,000 each for the families they left behind before heading to Mindanao, he said.

But the most shocking of their ordeal was the unfortunate death of one of their companions identified as one Mike Reymond Arreglado, 17, said the group’s leader Diosdado Pera.
The 22 fishermen, who were called by Gov. Edgar Chatto as victims of the trafficking in persons, welcomed the financial assistance extended to them by the provincial government, said Pera.

Each received P10,000 from Chatto during the meeting of the Provincial Peace and Order Council presided over by the governor held here in time for the launching of Heat caravan.
The governor said the financial assistance would be used as seed money to start a livelihood to enable them to start anew.

Mysterious death
The circumstances surrounding the boy’s death remains a mystery to his mother and the rest of Pera’s group.

Pera said they were told that the boy drowned while fishing on a part-time basis on another fishing outfit using allegedly an illegal compressor, a gadget mounted on a fishing boat, which supplies oxygen to fishermen doing the spear fishing underwater for hours, said Pera.

Rowena Arreglado, the mother of the young Arreglado, confirmed in an exclusive interview that her son passed away. She lamented the loss of her son and expressed anguish she was not able to see her son’s remains even for the last time because it was not brought to their home.
Asked why he let her boy to go with the rest of Pera’s group, Rowena Arreglado said it was due to poverty hoping that he could earn more income to help her family of eleven. Rowena Arreglado said she is on the family way with her 12th child. Her husband is also a fisherman.
She said she and her husband will never again let her other boys venture into the unknown, short of saying she’s sorry for what happened to him.

Pera said that while they were still in Tausog territory in Tawi-Tawi it would be difficult for them to bring his dead body to Bohol because their plan to escape might be noticed by their “boss” identified as Benjamin Jaybit, aka “Agi,” a Tausog Muslim, who paid for their catch. He said they had no option but to bury the boy’s body in Tawi-Tawi.

Ordeal
Pera narrated their ordeal some eight months since they left Bohol early last year.
He said Jaybit bought their fish catch from spear fishing at a very low price only, contrary to what their recruiter promised.

Even if they caught enough fish to earn for their provisions in a given time still they must do more fishing routine to earn additional income. There were times when they cannot buy rice because of a supply shortage. There was always a shortfall in their provisions.

Aside from the low earnings, they also lived in fear because of the presence of armed men that Jaybit maintains in the compound in Tawi-Tawi where they lived for some time.

They were even warned they would be shot if they took steps to run away. There had been many times when they tried to convince Jaybit to let them go home, only to be told that if they do so they cannot repay their (cash) advances, said another fisherman, Vicente Doblas, in an interview.

Pera said he convinced his fellow fishers to escape and hatched a plan. First they saved some gasoline for the motorboat they’ll use en-route to escape sometime in December last year. And breakout they did.

They were able to reach Zamboanga and reported what they went through in the hands of the Muslim.

Pera said he and his group are very grateful to the Philippine Navy and other agencies, including the provincial government, for extending assistance and facilitating their return to their families.

Victims
The fishermen-victims of illegal trafficking were identified as Rolando Trocende, Ronel Torcende, Vicente Doblas, Virgilio Oponda, Maredcadel E. Pera, Servando Bucio Jr., Angelito Rosales, Marcelino Mabatuan Jr. and Virgilio Omit, all residents of island-barangay sa Maomawan, Bien-Unido. And Rogelio Lugod is a resident of San Jose, Getafe, aside from Diosdado A. Pera, also of Maomawan, Bien-Unido.

Others include Gary Hewe, Feliciano Doron, Tommy Doron, Ryan Doron, Leopoldo Gabas, Jomar Baculfo, Roel Boiser, Jiji Zapanta, Rico Gaylan, and Dennis Casio, all of island-barangay Gaus, President Carlos P. Garcia (Pitogo).

Pera said the recruiter Mantos is nowhere to be found in Cataban, who may have sensed he is now the subject of charges to be filed by authorities.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/57234/trafficked-bohol-fishermen-bare-ordeal-in-tawi-tawi