Town council junks move for province to own patrol boat

CEBU, Philippines - The municipal council of Tabogon has opposed the move of Mayor Eusebio Dungog to offer the town’s Monitoring and Control Surveillance (MCS) patrol boat to be owned by the Cebu province in its anti-illegal fishing campaign.

Former town councilor Merlino Alivio, Dungog’s technical adviser, said that the municipal council turned down the mayor’s request to allow the province to own the patrol boat.

The MCS boat was awarded to the town by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources for its successful implementation of the Integrated Coastal Resource Management Program (ICRMP).

Alivio said that instead of releasing the MCS boat to the municipality, Dungog wanted to have the boat released to the Capitol through the Cebu Provincial Anti-Illegal Fishing Task Force from BFAR.

Alivio said the councilors only agreed that the boat be used by the task force but its ownership be retained by the town.

The Sangguniang Bayan is set to pass a resolution allowing the boat to be used by the Capitol in the campaign against illegal fishing but not to waive its ownership.

An opposition mayor, Dungog supported the province’s anti-illegal fishing campaign.

He is a member of Liberal Party and an ally of the Martinezes in the fourth district.

Task force coordinator and Capitol consultant Jose Maria Gastardo hailed Dungog’s support for the campaign.

The task force has one MCS boat stationed in San Remigio town, which is quite far from Tabogon.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia promised to extend assistance to Dungog’s projects for his cooperation in the anti-illegal fishing campaign.

Tabogon’s MCS boat can be used in the anti-illegal fishing operation in northeastern Cebu, said Garcia.  (FREEMAN)