I've been cc'd a couple of e-mails others have sent to Randy, after I handed out his e-mail address on the Yahoo CDO Expatriates group. I'm really happy to see some support coming in for this man. I'm his friend, but I have no resources other than this blog with which to help him out. The Stirm's lives are in danger, they're broke, and I'm pretty sure they are feeling quite alone out here and depressed about everything. Anyone who wants to get in touch with them and offer assistance or just encouragement should certainly do so. Hell: Leave a comment here if you want and I'll make sure Randy reads it.
Anyway, as Gold Star Daily News website still seems to have the collywobbles about showing up on my computer screen, I am once again thanking Herbie and Jigger for letting me put up the entire article here... and thanks for putting my quote in the newspaper... anonymously, as preferred.
Gunmen stop Stirm, threaten to kill wifeC'mon Jasaan Police Department: "Not our area of responsibility"? Okay, granted: Maybe, in the shallowest sense. But Randy Stirm's life was threatened in Jasaan. Randy Stirm lives in Jasaan. Randy employs more than 20 people here in Jasaan with his fishing operation. Do you really want to play "pass-the-buck" in a situation like this with human lives in your jurisdiction? If you're not sure it's your duty to protect the American, and that perhaps police protection should be based on nationality, how about at least protecting the Filipina wife these people threatened to kill? Think about it. Please.
By JIGGER JERUSALEM
Armed men yesterday threatened the American who spoke out against the alleged abuses of government people in Gingoog city.
The men, riding a black Honda XRM motorcycle, stopped Randy Stirm near the Kimaya Bridge in Jasaan town at around 7:55 am, showed a police blotter signed by PO3 Elesio Junsay and Senior Insp. Lorenzon Larot.
The American on Monday threatened to sue Gingoog Mayor Ruthie Guingona, Vice Mayor Marlon Kho, local fisheries officer Genevieve Cruz, and Navy and police personnel over the alleged illegal seizure of his over P2-million fishing boat on the waters off Gingoog. He alleged that his wife and crew were harassed over trump-up charges of illegal fishing, and that the fishing boat was badly damaged.
Stirm, a resident of Luz Banzon, Jasaan town, said the armed men told him: "If you don't make a deal, we will kill your wife."
Stirm told the police the men covered their faces with bandannas and threatened him with caliber .45 pistols. The police blotter showed that Stirm claimed that he was driving his Multicab (van) and was headed to a gas station when the armed men blocked his way.
He said he might be able to identify the men if hears their voices again.
Stirm said he was driving the van when he noticed a motorcycle tailing him. He said he slowed down so the motorcycle could overtake.
This, he said, gave the men the chance to block his door.
Stirm said the two men pointed their guns at him with a warning that they would kill his Filipino wife Cherry if he rejected a "deal".
Stirm told The Gold Star Daily that he just replied: "Let’s see what happens."
He said the men then sped off.
Stirm said he knew what the men meant by "deal". During a gathering of expatriates last week, he said, a lawyer came to him and tried to talk him into agreeing to an out-of-court settlement.
He said the lawyer told him to forget about the alleged injustice and in return, his boat would be repaired. But here’s the catch: Stirm is supposed to share his catch to those who would repair the fishing boat.
The American said he rejected the proposal.
Stirm has sought police protection. But Jasaan’s police chief, Insp. Larot sent a letter to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and asked it to see if the American could be placed under a protection program.
In his letter to the NBI, Larot stated: "This office referred the case of... Stirm which occurred particularly at Gingoog City which is not our area of responsibility and the suspects [are] probably residing thereat."
Stirm said he was contemplating on reporting the matter to the US Embassy.
The Stirm case has caught the attention of expats in Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental and even in Cebu. One expat wrote: "Welcome to the real business world, Philippines style. A perfect-but-sad descant to Mayor (Constantino) Jaraula’s message of 'foreign business owners welcome' that we listened to at International Night this past Sunday... and far too illustrative an experience for foreign small business owners here."
Jaraula met with expats from this city and Misamis Oriental at Pryce Plaza last weekend. The "International Night" was one of the Cagayan de Oro fiesta activities.
(Click here for all blog posts related to Randy Stirm's situation.)
8 comments:
I think you've discovered the downside of living in the PI compared to Thailand.
Oh hell. Are you kidding? I'll admit, it's bad here but...
In Thailand, the gunmen wouldn't have stopped to chat. Look at the number of foreigners killed in Thailand... in just Pattaya even... every year by hired killers on motorcycles.
Thailand is simply a far more murderous place than The Philippines.
The Philippines indeed has more crime and corruption than Thailand, and fighting that crime and corruption obviously will put you at odds with dangerous people... but in the standard day-to-day life of a foreign business owner or wealthy retiree, death by malefaction is much more common in Thailand over The Philippines. (Wives... and wives' families and lovers... kill foreign husbands over money and business in Thailand like it's the national sport.)
And, in The Philippines, you can always choose to play ball with the scum, and there is (comparitively) no racial limit on becoming successful in business by playing the game "Philippine style" (sad though that fact may be). Randy did indeed have the opportunity to cave to this "syndicate" and get his boat fixed in return, and become part of "the system" up there in Gingoog. He did what he thought was right and turned down the offer.
In Thailand, you usually don't have that option; most foreign business owners usually don't even know there is a problem until the motorcycle pulls up alongside them on a dark stretch of Soi Siam Country Club.
According to Herbie he believes he was being tailed last night, and is watching his back.
He also said that Jigger told him that the Gingoog Vice Mayor, Kho, phoned him this morning and was FURIOUS!
p.s. Sorry... but I should add on to the comment above:
The original situation that started this whole thing: Randy's fishing boat being captured, impounded, and torn apart, is indeed much worse than anything in Thailand. Getting your boat shot up by the Navy (even if nobody got hurt or was intended to be hurt) is indeed much worse than anything in Thailand. The fact that anybody (Filipino or foreign) can suddenly and unexpectedly find themselves in this situation in this country is a testament to it's continued failure to advance in the modern business world.
The danger to life is higher in Thailand, as I originally said, but business practices here in The Philippines are a crude and rudimentary zero sum game, where people fight each other to defend their own weaknesses instead of improving their businesses to better compete, and winners are calculated by how many people they fought off and defeated on their way to the top. Effeciency, decency, and honesty are not factors in this game.
What actually did prompt this affair in the first place?
From what I gather, there's some sort of a fishing co-op there that Randy refused to join, and this whole fiasco is due to that? What are the costs and benefits of being a member, and why did he decide against joining?
I understood that the charge against him was fishing illegally in municipal waters. His response was, from what I saw and heard in his videos, that he's legal and he has a (commercial fishing) license. Did he, or didn't he, fish in a restricted area?
So far I've just heard Randy's side of things, and not enough information even from him for me to decide who's right and who's wrong here. I'd like more info, and also to hear the other side's story. Hopefully the local newspaper will present that soon.
Jay,
To be honest, I'm not really clear on the whole fishing rights business either. Apparently there is a 15-mile border within which is "municipal waters" and outside of which is open waters. Whether Randy's boat was legally within this area or not is something that I personally have not determined. To the best of my knowledge, he does not dispute that his boat was in these waters.
Anyway, what happened was that he was in this area, and — if guilty of anything — should have been fined. (I've heard anything from 500-piso to 2,000-piso fines are standard.) Instead, the local Gingoog fishermen forced Randy's boat to shore and contacted the people at city hall who control the fishing syndicate in these waters. (Randy calls this syndicate illegal. Based on a conversation I heard, it apparently is... if not actually illegal... at least extralegal and unofficial.) City Hall apparently called in the Navy to prevent the boat from leaving.
The people in City Hall demanded that Randy's boat be impounded and dismantled. After Randy's wife made the decision to set sail to save the boat, the Navy gave pursuit and were going to sink the boat, and shot it up. After it was brought back to the pier, it was moved to a waterside lumbermill where it was allegedly going to be scrapped and whatever remained after would be burned.
That is all of the details that Randy provided me that I can remember.
In philippines gunmen dont chat either they act, their agenda was to frighten not kill. DUH!!!
BTW, This shit about dude being alive because a tough SEAL is funny as hell, even big dudes cant fight bullets, they only make bigger targets. The rambo shit about loan ex-sf guy taking over countrys and shit only has place in fucking comic books lol.
Uh, okay. If you say so Anon... whatever it was you meant to say.
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