EIGHT crewmen of a fishing boat were killed on Monday night when they were attacked by armed men on the waters off Laud Siromon, Barangay Dita, Zamboanga City.
But the Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command spokesman, Maj. Filemon Tan Jr., said the attack was not terrorism related.
Tan said FB NR, owned by a certain Mumar from Barangay Sangali, Zamboanga City, was on the waters off Laud Siromon with its 15 crewmen when armed men fired at it.
As a result, eight of the boat’s crewmen were killed, while the rest jumped into the water and survived. They are currently on Siromon Island.
“Motive of the gunmen was said to be personal grudge between two fishing groups and another angle [being] considered is extortion,” Tan said.
The incident, which occurred at past 7 p.m. on Monday, was reported on Tuesday by Daud Bakil, barangay chairman of Sangali, Zamboanga City, to the Sangali police station.
Bakil was accompanied by Kervin Banahan, a resident of Sangali.
“The Joint Task Force Zamboanga is now closely looking and monitoring the developments in the area. The Marine Battalion Landing Team-11 is also currently in the area to assist the police as investigations are ongoing,” Tan said.
The Zamboanga City Police Office, meanwhile, said a seaborne team has been sent to track down the gunmen.
The police said the fishing boat manned by 15 crewmen was on the way home to Sangali from Sibuktuk Island when five gunmen aboard two motorboats, locally known as jungkung, accosted them.
The gunmen divested the fishing-boat crewmen of cash and valuables, including cellular telephones, and then opened fire, killing eight instantaneously.
Personnel from the Zamboanga police were sent to Siromon Island to fetch the survivors. Rene Acosta with PNA