Multiple raps are poised against five alleged "pirates" apprehended by a Negrense fishing crew off the coast of Isla de Higantes in Iloilo after others they also "victimized" positively identified them and are preparing separate suits, Supt. Norberto Boston, Cadiz police chief, said yesterday.

The police and the Maritime Command are calling on all those who have fallen victim to extortion activities of sea pirates to check if the five nabbed are the same people who victimized them for the filing of cases.

Nabbed by the crew of Tristar Fishing Corporation's FB Cadiz City, owned by businessman Steven Be, Tuesday were Allan Sun, Douglas Jerafta, 45; Ronaldo Gabriel, Nilo Mercader, 20, and Diosdado Ado, 18, of Masbate.

Recovered from them were an M-16 armalite rifle with serial number RP103833, a KG9 9mm machine pistol with serial number 961342 and four magazines containing M-16 ammunition.

Boston said the owner of FB Cadiz is preparing piracy raps against the five, an alias John and six other unidentified persons, that may be filed today.

Roy Vijandre, president of the Commercial Fishing Boat Operators and owner of F/B Laura from Sagay City, is also filing raps against the five, who allegedly extorted money from them, too, Boston said.

Senior Supt. Charles Calima, Negros Occidental police director, yesterday said they are still verifying allegations that policemen were among the pirates engaged in extortion activities in the Visayan Sea.

They are also checking the serial numbers of the seized firearms to determine whom they were registered with or if they are illegal, he said.

We will coordinate with our counterparts in the Masbate police to determine if policemen are involved in the sea piracy, Calima said.

Supt. Cornelio Salinas, Maritime Group regional commander, said the pirates have been boarding fishing vessels in the waters between Iloilo and Negros and threatening owners that their boats will be seized and their crew arrested unless P100,000 to P500,000 is deposited in their account.

The pirates radio the owners of the vessels to deposit the amount asked for in their account otherwise their vessels are dragged to a town in Masbate where it is seized and their crew are charged for illegal fishing, Salinas said.

Salinas, however, withheld the name of the Masbate town.

The five nabbed Tuesday are part of this group, he said.

They have also victimized numerous fishing vessels from the fifth district of Iloilo, he said.

Salinas said owners of other fishing vessels victimized should surface and also file charges to put an end to this illegal activity.

The Maritime Command in the past had sent seaborne patrols to deter this sort of extortion in the high seas, he said.

He said the culprits can also face charges of usurpation of authority for claiming to be carrying out police work to put a stop to illegal fishing, illegal possession of firearms, robbery, extortion and piracy, which does not allow bail.

Emmanuel Lobrido, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources provincial head, told DYEZ Aksyon Radyo that law enforcers ensuring compliance of fishery laws should be in uniform and their vessels must be properly marked with the name Bantay Dagat, or from whatever agency they belong to.

It should also be the team leader of the group that should board the vessel they are apprehending first, he said.*CPG

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