Pls.read this: do you think this is fair for our Phil.coast Guard Men?And do you think they are just doing their sworn duties to protect our territories? PCG spokesman Commander Armand Balilo said the DOJ’s decision was disheartening, considering that the eight coast guard officers and personnel slapped with homicide charges were just doing their duty during the fatal encounter with the Taiwanese fishermen. The eight are being held at PCG headquarters. “It is normal on the part of the PCG to feel demoralized because we believe that they were only doing their job. But the PCG is a professional organization and we would always do our job,” Balilo said. The PCG has yet to receive its copy of the DOJ resolution read more here: philstar/headlines/2014/03/19/1302535/homicide-charges-set-vs-8-coast-guard-men >>WHILE DURING PRES.FERDINAND E. MARCOS RP JUSTIFIES SHIP’S STRAFING By YVONNE T. CHUA and MANUEL SILVA Philippine Daily Express – Jan. 19, 1982 Story differs from skipper’s version A top defense official admitted yesterday he had ordered two Philippine Air Force planes to fire on Japanese chemical tanker Hegg off Davao Oriental last Friday after repeated warnings for it to stop. Maj. Gen. Delfin Castro, chief of AFP Southern Command, said two navy ships had tried to stop the 5, 307-tom chemical tanker. The military earlier received intelligence reports that a cargo vessel would try to land both terrorists and war material on Sarangani island in Mindanao. “I personally ordered the strafing of the tanker if only to stop the vessel and verify reports that the ship was carrying arms,” said Castro. ****** When the Hegg ignored the warnings, Castro said he called two propeller-driven T-28 planes, locally known as “Tora-Tora”, to fire on it. The ship, with 22 crewmembers and owned by Daiichi Shoun K.K. of Japan, suffered seven holes in its hull from machinegun and two rockets fired at it. A South Korean cook aboard the vessel was injured. Castro said he assumed full responsibility for the strafing incident. ****** Foreign minister Carlos P. Romulo, in a press statement, said the strafing was done as a “legitimate exercise of our right to protect our national security and territorial integrity.” He said the incident could have been avoided if only the skipper heeded the instruction of the Philippine naval and air force elements. Romulo cited a defense report stating that the Hegg was not flying any flag when it was challenged, although the ship’s skipper, Capt. Hideo Takakiwa, told the shipping agents in Tokyo that the tanker was flying Japanese flags at the time. Romulo said the Japanese tanker was at fault under international law since it “ignored generally-accepted laws of the sea in cases where the coastal state having jurisdiction over the waters in which a vessel is sailing challenges such a boat and orders it to stop.” ****** Previously, Romulo said, military authorities had received intelligence reports that a cargo vessel would attempt to land “terrorists and assorted war materials” on Sarangani island. The authorities “were therefore closely monitoring sea traffic in the area,” Romulo added. He said the Hegg was fired at because it was suspected of carrying terrorists and some $10 million worth of arms and explosives. Romulo’s press statement was accompanied by a map indicating the movements of the Hegg from the time a navy ship fire warning shots at 6 a.m. until the planes strafed it at 4:25 p.m., more than 10 hours later. ****** A defense report on the incident leading to the strafing showed that at dawn last Friday, a Philippine Navy ship tried to stop the tanker, which was sailing at 12 knots off Davao del Sur and within Philippine limits, by flashing signal lights. PAF planes were called in shortly afternoon to intercept the vessel as it further accelerated its speed. The tanker sped on even as the planes flew low over the ships in “trail formation” signaling it to stop. It also ignored further warning shots fire across the bow by the planes, the report said. The report said the pilots had avoided hitting the main body of the ship after seeing a “Danger Explosives” sign. ****** In Tokyo, Kiichi Miyazawa, chief Cabinet secretary, said the Japanese government will take the necessary steps after piercing the facts together. At a hastily-arranged press conference, the government spokesman said the Philippine government has informed Japan through diplomatic channels that its air force planes fired on the tanker because it was suspected of ferrying rebel arms. Miyazawa said his government will study how to cope with the situation after questioning the crew of the tanker. The Hegg is scheduled to arrive at the Southern Japanese port of Naha, Okinawa, Thursday, according to the owner. Kitahinon Oil Steamship Co. of Tokyo told the Kyodo News Service that the Hegg had flown a Japanese flag in the stern before it was attacked and also hoisted a rising sun flag on the mast after the fighters fired the first warning shots.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 22:56:57 +0000
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