Twenty-six Cebuano fishermen, claiming that they were illegally recruited and physically abused by the trader – a fellow-Cebuano — who owns their fishing vessel, were rescued by authorities in Palawan. The fishermen claimed they performed muro ami fishing otherwise known as reef-hunting is an illegal form of fishing where large rocks are dropped into corals to force fish to come out in the open, since September last year. One of the rescued fishermen said he and his colleagues were made to dive into the water for two hours using only air compressors for breathing purposes. The fishermen were recruited by the boat’s captain, identified only as Boy, last September and were promised huge fees if they come to Palawan to go fishing.

Mosqueda, M. W. Jr. (2015, January 23). Muro ami fishermen rescued in Palawan. Manila Bulletin, p. 13.