PCG members guilty of killing Taiwanese fisherman

A Manila court has found eight members of Philippine Coast Guard(PCG) guilty of homicide for their involvement in the death of Taiwanese fisherman Hong Shi Cheng.

Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 15 sentenced Cmdr Arnold Enriquez dela Cruz, SN2 Nicky Reynold Aurello, SN1Edrando Quiapo Aguila, SN1Mhelvyn Aguilar Bendo II, SN1Andy Gibb Ronario Golfo, SN1Sonny Galang Masangkay, SN1Henry Baco Solomon and PO2 Richard Fernandez Corpuz with 8 years 1 day to 14 years 8 months, 1 day imprisonment and P50,000 in civil indemnity and P50,000 in moral damages for the unlawful killing of Sheng.

The Coast Guard members shoot Sheng after a sea chase commenced off Balintang Channel on May 2013.

They initially sought the dismissal of the case for insufficient evidence but the court denied their demurrer in October 2018.

Six of them had claimed there was no “personal and positive identification” of them as the persons who committed the crime.