Councilman, 2 others face criminal charges

Three fishermen, including a barangay councilman, from Medellin town are now facing criminal complaints for attempted homicide and illegal fishing filed by the Madridejos police before the Provincial Prosecutor's Office.

The complaints were signed by Madridejos acting police chief Philip John Libres against barangay councilman Rene Boy Barro, 32; Junny Boy Canoy; and Renato Jimenez, 24; all residents of Sitio Lipata, Barangay Gibitngil, Medellin.

Police Officer 3 Arven Toreon and Police Officer 1 Elison Ursal of Madridejos Police Station, in their joint affidavit, said that in the evening of April 28, Madridejos Bantay Dagat Task Force members Jonas Villacrucis and Pablo Almodiel sought police assistance due to an ongoing dynamite fishing in the seawaters off Barangay Poblacion, Madridejos.

The policemen and the Bantay Dagat personnel immediately conducted a patrol after receiving the report.

Upon reaching the area which is approximately three kilometers from the shoreline, they reportedly heard a dynamite explosion and saw a fishing boat near their location.

Toreon and Ursal added that they heard another dynamite explosion while they were approaching the boat.

They then called the attention of the crew of the fishing boat and introduced themselves as policemen.

They instructed the boatman to stop the engine for inspection but he allegedly refused to heed their instructions and kept on sailing instead.

The two policemen were instructed by Libres to chase the fishing boat but one of the fishermen allegedly threw a dynamite at them. Someone from the fishing boat then allegedly fired at the patrol boat.

The policemen also attached photos of their patrol boat with seven bullet holes.

The policemen reportedly returned fire at the fishing boat. They continued chasing the fishermen for almost two hours but the latter managed to escape and headed towards Kinatarkan Island.

The responding personnel were left behind after they ran out of fuel.

Two days after the incident, Toreon and Ursal who conducted a follow-up investigation went to a hospital in Daanbantayan after they received information that a fisherman is recuperating from a gunshot wound he sustained on April 28.

It was found out that Canoy was hit in his left buttocks while a bullet also grazed through Gimenez’s head. They were among the 15 crew members of a fishing boat owned by Barro, who earlier claimed to have been fired upon by a group of armed men.

In the morning of May 1, Barro went to Madridejos Police Station together with his fishermen to report the incident.

Villacrucis, Almodiel and Danilo Ytol who are also members of the Madridejos Bantay Dagat Task Force executed a joint affidavit to support the complaint.

Barro and his men have yet to answer the allegations filed against them.