ILLEGAL FISHING STILL A PROBLEM | Bantay Dagat in cahoots with poachers?

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BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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Tuesday, May 23, 2017
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ILOILO City – Illegal fishing remains a problem in northern Iloilo. Are the personnel of the Iloilo Provincial Bantay Dagat Task Force colluding with illegal fishers?

The task force’s composition was reorganized several times already.

“We have revamped our Bantay Dagat three times to avoid familiarity (between task force members and fishermen),” said Provincial Administrator Raul Banias.

He did not discount the possibility that some task force members may have established cordial relations with illegal fishers.

“That is why we are always on the alert,” said Banias. “Basta may suspetso kami, insigada ginapahalin namon. Wala kita sang may ginatolerar dira.” 

Bantay Dagat has seven patrol boats guarding northern Iloilo’s rich fishing grounds.

Over the weekend, fishermen gathering shellfish without permit were apprehended by the Bantay Dagat off the coast of Bago-Alas Island, Barangay Taloto-an, Concepcion town.

The task force, headed by Senior Police Officer 1 Jose Ronnie Panes, reported yesterday that the fishermen were caught in two separate seaborne operations.

First to fall were 10 fishermen using air compressor to gather shellfish and were onboard the following motorboats:

* M/BCA Ignacio – owned and operated by Nelson Alcala with three crew members from Barangay Punta Batwanon, Carles

* M/BCA 3 Kings – owned and operated by Mermin Borres with three crew members from Barangay Asluman, Carles

* unnamed motorboat owned and operated by Sandy Neminzo with one crew from Barangay Borongon, San Dionisio

The fishermen violated Section 9.06 and 9.09 of Concepcion’s Municipal Ordinance No. 1, series of 2008 that set penalties for fishing without permit and fishing using unregistered boat.  

The second Bantay Dagat apprehension netted 16 crew members of motorboat Toto Jabie. The suspects used modified drift trawl, locally known as palukso, without permit.

M/BCA Toto Jabie was owned and operated by Roselyn Buncad and piloted by Jonathan Buncad, both residents of Barangay San Fernando, Carles.

“This type of fishing is a modification of trawl and push net with the use of lights as fish aggregating device,” said Panes, referring to palukso as a new type of fishing gear.

Earlier this May, the Bantay Dagat task force also apprehended fishermen using the forbidden round haul seine or sinsoro in Barangay Polopiña, Concepcion.

They were onboard M/BCA MJ (owned by Elena Sicad and piloted by Efren Guiñez) and M/BCA Mildred (owned by Mildred Leong and piloted by Franklin Aldaya).

Each owner paid a compromise fine of P5,000 and their motorboat and pilot were released thereafter.

The task force also grounded a hulbot-hulbot motorboat in Barangay Bayas, Estancia but they failed to arrest the four fishermen onboard it.

On Sunday, Banias summoned Bantay Dagat personnel to a meeting. They reviewed their strategies to curb illegal fishing in northern Iloilo.

Banias said some coastal municipalities lacked resources to protect their waters from illegal fishing activities.

“Expect more positive operations sang aton Bantay Dagat kay may mga stratehiya na kita nga na-formulate,” he said without elaborating on the new strategies.

He acknowledged the cooperation extended by coastal residents to the task force. They alert the Bantay Dagat if they spot illegal fishers, he said.

The Bantay Dagat has an annual budget of P7.5 million. The big chunk of this is for the maintenance of its equipment and fuel for its seven boats’ operation.

“Ang aton patrol boats dalagko, indi lahog-lahog ang ila sini konsumo. Kada-operate nila sina, may preparasyon gid kita,” said Banias.

He also clarified that fishes seized from illegal fishers are not sold but distributed to jails and provincial government-run hospitals. (With a report from Jezza Nepomoceno, Iloilo Capitol/PN)

 

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