PH Consulate General in Manado Repatriates 10 Filipinos Via PH Navy Ship Emilio Jacinto
Vice Consul Manuel C. Ayap hands over the travel documents of the Filipinos boarding BRP Emilio Jacinto. (Manado PCG photo)
MANADO 01 August 2019 — The Philippine Consulate General in Manado, in collaboration with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)—Naval Fleet Eastern Mindanao Command (EASTMINCOM), repatriated 10 Filipinos aboard a Philippine Navy ship BRP EMILIO JACINTO as part of the conduct of its PH-RI Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) Exercises.
The boat sailed off from the Indonesian Navy wharf in Bitung on 26 July 2019 at 08:15 a.m. and arrived in Sasa Wharf in Davao City last 27 July. The boat was welcomed by key government officials from the AFP Eastern Mindanao Command, DFA Mindanao, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Bureau of Quarantine, and other local government officials.
Eight among the 10 Filipinos served one year and two months imprisonment for illegal fishing, one served six months for smuggling, and another for illegal entry in January 2019.
At the strong urging of the Philippine Consulate General, the Ministry of Law and Human Rights in North Sulawesi, Immigration Offices in Bitung, Immigration Detention Center in Manado, Maritime and Fisheries Resources Base in Bitung, and the Prosecutor’s Office in Bitung fast-tracked the clearing process for these individuals in time for the voyage of BRP Emilio Jacinto from Bitung to Davao.
The Consulate General in Manado has already repatriated 209 distressed Filipinos aboard either a Philippine Navy ship or a Philippine Air Force during an annual Coordinated Patrol Exercise (CORPAT). The marching efforts of the Philippine Consulate General, the Philippine Navy, and the Indonesian immigration authorities is testament to enduring and thriving Philippine-Indonesia bilateral relations which is now on its 70th year.
From January 2018 to present, the Consulate General in Manado has repatriated a total of 32 distressed Filipino fishermen mostly residing in Davao and General Santos City. END
Philippine Consulate General in Manado Assistance-To-Nationals Team with the Head of the Immigration Detention Center in Manado. (Manado PCG photo)
Ten Filipino fishermen with the Captain of BRP Emilio Jacinto and Vice Consul Ayap. (Manado PCG photo)
For more information, visit https://www.manadopcg.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinManado/.