A P6-million settlement with 22 Filipino fishermen, whose fishing boat Gem-Ver was reportedly rammed by a Chinese vessel two years ago, is not yet a done deal, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said yesterday. “The discussion is still ongoing,” DOJ Undersecretary Adrian Ferdinand Sugay said when asked if the crew of F/B GemVer had agreed to settle for P6 million, as earlier reported. Originally, the fishermen were demanding a bigger amount in compensation for actual and moral damages. But it was reported that they allegedly agreed among themselves to settle for P6 million when representatives of a Chinese company claiming to own the steel-hulled trawler, Yuemaobinyu 42212, made a counter-offer of P3.6 million.

Macairan, E., Flores, H., & Romero, P. (2021, July 12). DOJ: WPS fishermen's P6-M settlement not final. The Philippine Star, pp. 1, 5.