Bantay Dagat stops confiscation of illegal fish

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Bantay Dagat Task Force has stopped confiscating illegally caught fish that were transported to Cebu City.

The task force is instead letting the fish traders concerned to return the marine products to their point of origin.

Bantay Dagat Commission Director Ranulfo Sebusa said they will just require the concerned fish traders to present to them proof, like bill of ladings and other documents, that they really sent back the illegally caught fish to where these came from.

He admitted that the Bantay Dagat Commission had approved the fish traders’ request not to confiscate their marine products found to have been caught with the use of explosives.

Sebusa explained that most of the fish traders assured the Bantay Dagat Commission that they will stop accepting illegally caught fish products particularly those coming from Mindanao.

The existing Cebu City ordinance provides that the law enforcement authorities have the power to confiscate all the fish products owned by the fish dealer even if only part of the goods were illegally caught.

Some City Hall officials suggested that the Bantay Dagat Commission should first review the existing ordinance and not just easily give way to the request of the fish traders.

When Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young was told about the task force’s decision, he said, “Wala sila kuyafi?” (Are they out of their minds?)

Mayor Michael Rama for his part refused to make a comment about the issue without first verifying the matter from the Bantay Dagat officials.

During the previous confiscation of illegally caught marine products, the confiscated fishes were donated to various institutions in Cebu City like the jails and childcare institutions.

This is part of their “market-denial” campaign to discourage the fish dealers to buy illegally caught marine products.

Cebu City’s history of active market denial campaign against illegally caught fish saw the shooting to death of former Bantay Dagat director Elpidio “Jojo” Dela Victoria while he was about to enter his house in Talisay City sometime in April 2006. Policeman Marcial Ocampo was convicted and is serving a life sentence after he was found guilty beyond reasonable doubt for the death of Ocampo, but the mastermind of the crime is still unmasked. – (FREEMAN)