A friend of mine who lives here in Jasaan, Randy Stirm, has a fishing boat. Apparently people from the area of Gingoog, a town about 50 miles north of here, don't like outsiders fishing in their waters. Randy's crew (captained by Randy's wife) sailed Randy's boat into these waters and was fishing there. The local Gingoog fishermen surrounded the Jasaan boat and brought it to shore.
According to Randy, the Vice Mayor of Gingoog, who runs this fishing co-op that Randy claims is illegal, called in the Philippine Navy, and he ordered the boat destroyed on the spot.
Apparently, since there was no trial, no court order, and since the maximum fine that could be levied against a vessel for illegal fishing was 500 pisos, and not wanting to lose a 3-million-piso boat, Randy's crew (and wife) decided to head back out to open waters and set sail for a more favorable jurisdiction, leaving Randy on the pier to record the whole event. The Philippine Navy gave chase, caught up with the boat, and ordered everyone on board into the water so that they could sink it. The crew refused, so the Philippine Navy apparently shot up the boat with the people still on deck.
The boat did not sink, and was brought back to the pier where it still sits foundering. Nobody on Randy's boat was shot, although whenever bullets fly in the direction of people, that is obviously more a function of luck than intent.
The only source I have for this information is Randy, his wife, and this video. I obviously haven't taken the time to interview anybody else for this story or obtain different points of view... that's not my job. Randy certainly was very clever to get the whole thing on video. He claims he has about 2 hours of video total of this ordeal, including many local officials making quite incriminating and illegal statements.
This is the first video posted so far. I personally don't hear any shots on the video recording (although Randy has assured me that you can hear them if you listen carefully), but anyway, since Randy has promised more videos, I'm sure that the details will be filled in through additional videos that will be posted on his YouTube account.
p.s. You may be wondering how Randy got away with standing alone on a dock surrounded by a mob of angry local fishing mafia: He is a huge guy (well over 6-foot-5), ex Navy SEAL, and an honest-to-God former Japanese Sumo wrestling champion and black belt in every martial art under the sun. Randy said that after the first four guys who tried to attack him with knives wound up in the water, everyone else decided to leave him alone.
UPDATE:
Randy and his guys (and big German Shepard, Eddie) went up to Gingoog last night and stole his boat back. Randy had been told that the Gingoog folks were planning on taking his boat to the town square today and burning it in some sort of effigy... and obviously an effort to destroy all the evidence. His boat is in sorry shape, with bullet holes, all of the booms and rope work cut and destroyed, all of the wires cut, and the engine in who-knows-what kind of shape. It has been towed by another of Randy's vessels out to sea and is headed to a secret location.
(Click here for all blog posts related to Randy Stirm's situation.)
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14 comments:
I listened to it.. I can hear the shots. I can make out obvious shots at 7:35, :42, :43, :46, :47, :50, (also between 7:41-:46 also sounds like a lot of small arms shots or the wind against the camera microphone.)
Randy said it was 18 shots with an M-16, and an unknown number of shots with a 45.
What nice people on the dock, makes me leary of going to the philippines I prefer not to spend money to deal with a**holes , can do that for free any day of the week without going anywhere
I couldn't make out any markings on the boat that went in pursuit. Is it really a Navy vessel? Coast Guard?
Need an ID if there's any hope of disciplinary action against the skipper.
This is the type of BS that makes one appreciate the law and order of first-world countries. It is awesome that Randy took control of the situation and rescued the boat. I have no doubt that the locals would have stripped and burned it.
Just another example of the locals that tolerate foreigners; as long as they can exploit them for their money.
Im a filipino. The Philippines has pratically over 80 million people living in these islands. The size of the Philippines is relatively small and there are many mouths to feed. If they see a foreigner with a commericial fishing boat like that, they are obviously upset because the country is already suffering from Human exploitation by foreigners and the rich in their own country. I dont pity the American. I feel sorry for the people there because for a small fee, he could have fish those waters. I fish here in Canada and paid $38 dollars for a sportsman fishing license for a whole year. But I am still limited to the amount of fish I can allowed to take home with me. Everyone has to pay a fee. If you cant do it in the USA without a commercial fishing license, then why do you think you should be allowed to do it in the Philippines?
For the record, Anon, Randy and his wife are fully licensed and have paid all applicable fees and are members of all of the local fishing co-ops and follow all of their rules and regulations.
Also, if you fail to pay your $38 in Canada, will the Canadian Navy shoot up your boat and try to sink it, and if they do, will it be okay if we don't "pity" the bullet holes in your dumb ass?
By the way Anon,
Small-minded thinking like your "I don't pity the American who got his business shot up" is a perfect synopsis of everything that is wrong with The Philippines economy today: The disregard for the rule of law; the tacit laissez-faire permissive attitude toward extrajudicial processes, graft, and corruption; protectionist and predatory business practices enforced with violence if necessary; the woe-is-us-we're-poor-because-of-evil-foreigners-excuse-for-barbarism mindset; and the mind-jarringly narrow-minded short-sigtedness of what helps — and what hurts — your country.
There are 17 Filipinos out of work now because Randy's boat was trashed and shot up. Do you pity those poor guys you shallow-brained twit?
How your body managed to get as far as Canada, but your mind hasn't progressed any further than those savage half-wits standing on that dock in the video, giggling in anticipation of a boat filled with (100% Filipino) innocent people about to get shot up is beyond me.
Jill Just wondering if any new videos yet published ? This story needs to in the main-stream media .
Jill Correction Randys wife is liscensed not Randy and the shit about foreign owned vessells is pure bullshit because foreigners cant engage in commercial fishing in the Philippines. HAHA
Classic example of a foreign idiot getting caught breaking laws, many laws, then whining like a little bitch that the laws dont apply to him because hes a foreigner. A truly shame bastard that Randy Stirm is.
Actually Anon, this is an early posting: Another article posted later notes that Randy does not own the boat nor the fishing business, it is in his wife's family's name.
As for breaking laws, even after all this time and all of this publicity, Randy has yet to see any charges against him. The Gingoog government mentioned only "illegal fishing" and even that has not been officially filed yet with any law enforcement authorities.
Just to be clear, it was Philippine Navy gun boat that gave chase. However based on the resport, the vessel reportedly owned by Randy was fishing in area where no one is supposed to fish. They were apprehended for that violation and not for being a foreigner fishing in the Philippines. The video shown was after the first apprehension and the wife taking the boat without clearance. The navy gave chase and they were fired upon. The shooting and video would have not happened if they did not try to escape. On the other hand Randy was saying that they were apprehended due to the fishing business of the mayor. What ever it is the navy does not take orders from any mayor. Just my opinion on the matter do no shoot the messenger
You mean that the Navy SHOULD not be taking orders from a Mayor. In fact, personal relationships often count more here than the chain of command. Case in point: a foreigner with a business visa and a thriving business was recently imprisoned for eleven days by the Bureau of Immigration on the unsupported word of an official of another agency, who claimed that he was here illegally. As a result, the BI is now answering a lawsuit for false arrest and unlawful detention, while the lying official who made the false charge in the first place goes scot-free. This happens all the time, so the claim that the Navy gunboat was doing a local government official a favor cannot be discounted just because it would never happen in America or Western Europe.
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