Sixty-five Filipino fishermen who were apprehended by maritime enforcement agencies in the northern coast of the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia for alleged illegal fishing activities were successfully repatriated back to the Philippines, the Department of Foreign Affairs reported yesterday.
According to the DFA, the Philippine Consulate General in Manado is scheduled to repatriate two more batches composed of 71 Filipino fishermen also nabbed for alleged illegal fishing activities in Bitung.
The Philippine Consulate said the Indonesian government is intent in strictly implementing its anti-illegal fishing policy following President Joko Widodo’s creation of the Anti-Illegal Fishing Task Force (SATGAS 115) on October 21, 2015 with the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry as Chair.
Last year, the Consulate General repatriated a total of 689 Filipino fishermen for the same reason. (Roy Mabasa)