DAVAO CITY, May 8 (PIA)-- A total of 92 Filipino fishermen have been repatriated  from the islands of Indonesia to the Philippines since the reopening of the border crossing at the Celebes Sea and North Sulawesi, between the Philippines and Indonesia. Of these number 43 Filipinos were rescued in Indonesian waters.

The Philippine Navy Patrol Ship PS-37 BRP Artemio Ricarte arriving at the Naval Station Felix Apolinario in Davao City on Monday (May 8) carried six repatriated fishermen.

Lt. General Greg Almerol, commander of the Eastern Mindanao Command welcomed the arriving Philippine Navy vessel . He was joined by the other officers of the Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao, Brig. General Constancio Yecla, commander of the 1003rd Infantry Brigade and line government agencies like the Department of Foreign Affairs XI, Bureau of Immigration, Bureau of Quarantine XI, Philippine Statistics Authority XI and the Department of Social Welfare and Development XI.

He revealed more than 90 Filipinos and more or less 50 Indonesians are repatriated since the coordinated patrol was done.

Almerol said that Filipinos are processed and repatriated right away to the Philippines depending on the availability of transportation either by sea or on air.

He said stranded Filipinos can easily come home depending on the availability of transportation which is highly expensive if they intend to ride an airplane which normally hails from Jakarta.

Almerol bared that to earn a living or to seek for greener pasture is the main reason why some Filipinos prefer to stay there.

“Basically, all of them are fishermen and some Filipinos find employment in the hands of big business from the cities of Davao and General Santos, fishing in the territorial waters of Indonesia.  It is against the law so the Indonesian Navy or Coast Guard have to apprehended them,” he said.

Almerol said there are Filipinos also who are accused of being repeat offenders, so the Indonesian authorities will really file cases against them.

The six Filipino repatriates brough by the navy ship included; Andy Syales Arrib of Columbio, Sultan Kudarat, Sali Tantali Kalbe of Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat, Naser Ambali Sala of Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat, Romeo Sarvida Dacula of General Santos City, Dempaul Sagario Bungaos of General Santos City and Gidjune Fernandez Basino of General Santos City.

The border was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and the coordinated patrol between the Philippine Navy and the Indonesian Navy was implemented only at the sea phase activities.  In 2022, as the threat of the pandemic subsided, the Border Crossing Station in both countries reopened and conducted again the harbor phase activities which culminated with Indonesia as host.  The 36th Coordinated Patrol was culminated in a simple ceremony at the SM Convention Center in Lanang.

This year 2023, the first leg of the 37th Coordinated Patrol Phil-Indo was done on a sea phase on March 16 to 17.  The BRP-Artemio Ricarte, Naval Vessel 393 and the KRI Kakap-811, the lone platform of the Indonesian Navy participated in the coordinated patrol. From May 3 to 8, the second leg of the Corpat-Phil-Indo was realized through the deployment of patrol assets KRI Escolar-871 of the Indonesian Navy, the BRP Artemio Ricarte and the Naval Vessel 393 of the Phil. Navy.  At the same time, harbor phase activities were done in Manado City, North Sulawesi in Indonesia from May 3-7. 

 During these phases, the two Border Committees participated in carrying out operations, information sharing, and assistance to citizens who need help in the border areas, including the rescue of 34 Filipino citizens from four fishing boats on March 3, that drifted in the Marore Island in the Indonesian Border because of technical problems and bad weather.  They were accommodated at the Marore Naval Post until their repatriation to the Philippines.  (PIA XI-Joey Sem G. Dalumpines)