Explosive catch show dynamite fishing still on

For quite a time, the Sagay marine sanctuary was reported to have put a stop to dynamite-fishing. Suddenly, it seems some had surreptitiously gone back to the destructive practice.

That was exposed when 602nd Regional Mobile Patrol Group troopers seized about 35 kilos of explosive chemicals and blasting caps in Molocabac Diutay islet in Sagay City, Negros Occidental.

The police also arrested Manuel Cawit and Danilo Reyes Moraca, alias Gaga.

The team were armed with a search warrant by Judge Rolando Ramirez. The RMG troopers led by Senior Inspector Jefferson Descallar, were helped by personnel of the Sagay Marine Reserve Office.

The haul included 35 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, 344 pieces of blasting caps, a Nokia 5110 celphone with charger, three packs of repacking plastic bags, a masking tape, a liter of gasoline and P10,000 in cash believed to be proceeds from the sale of the improvised dynamites.

Actually, ammonium nitrate is an agricultural chemical that fishermen all over the country had long known how to convert into dynamite.

What makes this find alarming is not so much that dynamite fishing is back but how many actually know to convert what is a commonly available agricultural chemical into explosives and bombs.

In the case of Sagay City, it is because over the past few years, the determined crusade against illegal fishing by Sagay authorities to protect the Sagay Marine Preserve, dynamite fishing had virtually become a thing of the past.

Now, it seems it is back to the past practice. And that could threaten what had already earned an international reputation as a well-protected local government unit marine preserve. Yearly marine scientists from various parts of the world trek to Sagay to study the success story of Rep. Alfredo Maranon Jr. (2nd) and Negros Occidental Governor Joseph Maranon, when they were previous mayors of the Northern Negros city.

Rosebud thumbs down anti-drug drive

Mary Rose Ong, better known as "Rosebud", stunned Negrense anti-drug crusaders Thursday with her declaration that the campaign by government against the spread of illegal drugs has slowed down because of lack of political will.

She claimed that many government officials are playing politician because of "utang na loob" which deters their full dedication to the drive against prohibited drugs, especially shabu.

Shabu is a clear and present danger our country is facing. How can we have a strong republic when we don’t have a strong people," Rosebud put it succinctly.

But she marred an otherwise clinical analysis of the slow anti-drug drive when one included her long-time expose against Senator Ping Lacson, vowing that she will campaign against him if he decides to run for the presidency in 2004.

Ceneco vs. Bacolod City

The standoff between the Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco) and the Bacolod City government has continued with acting general manager Benjie Peralta standing pat on his cutoff of power temporarily for three hours as backed up by a Ceneco board resolution.

The Bacolod Sangguniang Panglunsod hit back with a resolution unanimously approved condemning Ceneco for cutting off electric power to city hall last Monday.

The SP threw its support behind any legal or appropriate measures the city will take against Ceneco. The council also okayed a resolution authored by Councilor Edgar Sy, urging the City Mayor’s office to form a composite team to function as inspectors while Ceneco conducts meter reading in all key government offices and facilities.

Peralta said if the city will insist on collecting franchise and realty taxes from Ceneco, this will be passed on to all the 104,000 consumers.

Bacolod City has threatened to demand clarification of the setups of Ceneco as a cooperative. Since it is not registered with the CDA, the contention is that it is not exempt from franchise and realty taxes.

But, pointed out Peralta, that was something which the cooperative cannot afford to pay.

Which brought out from Bacolod Mayor Joy Valdez that she could not understand why Ceneco is giving a deadline to the city government to pay its bills. The city owes Ceneco P47.1 million in back accounts.

WNC bows down to SC

The West Negros College has agreed to abide with the Supreme Court decision for it to redeem the Our Lady of Mercy Specialty Hospital and the lot on which it stands.

The high court gave WNC a grace period of 60 days from notice of the finally of the decision to redeem the properties, provided it pays the balance of the amounts owned by the Bacolod Medical Center to the Development Bank of the Philippines.

Originally, the BMC secured a loan from DBP of P2.4 million for building and operating the hospital.

The DBP institutes an extrajudicial foreclosure of the mortgage on Jan. 30, 1989. The same year, DBP emerged as the highest and only bidder for P4 million. But that time, the BMC loan had balooned to P32.5 million.

After a series of developments, post payment of P4.3 million, the WNC paid P4.3 million to the DBP and asked the provincial ex-officio sheriff to issue a certificate of redemption.

This was challenged in court by the DBP. The lower court upheld WNC’s position. This was upheld by the Court of Appeals later. The Supreme Court, however, overload the appellate court and ruled that WNC should pay the balance of the BMC to DBP with interest at the rate agreed upon on Aug. 25, 1989.