THE government will release 30 Vietnamese fishermen who were arrested here for poaching and send them home soon, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said Friday.
He said President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the release of the fishermen after their two-day visit to Vietnam.
President Duterte working visit was successful, smooth and without any hitch or problem,” Aguirre said.
“The Vietnamese officials and government warmly received us. We gained a friend.”
Aguirre made his statement even as Duterte said Vietnam had pledged its cooperation in his war against illegal drugs.
The Philippines and Vietnam agreed “to explore ways to intensify law-enforcement cooperation against transnational crime including the illegal drug trade,” Duterte said in his arrival speech.
Aguirre said the cases against the Vietnamese fishermen who poached in Sulu and Palawan had been dismissed, and the only remaining case was that against the 17 poachers caught near the waters off Dile Point in Vigan City.
He said Duterte’s order covered only the fishermen who were arrested in Sulu and Palawan.