Rama to tap private sector to help city’s Bantay Dagat

CEBU, Philippines - The head of the Cebu City Bantay Dagat Task Force is worried because he may not be able to have major accomplishments this year after his proposed P9.2 million budget for his office was deleted by the Local Finance Committee.

Ranulfo Sebusa, a retired police colonel, said he and his personnel, in coordination with the civilian fish wardens, will continue to work to protect Cebu City’s seawaters from illegal fishers, but there might be a possibility that they may not be effective.

Sebusa said he does not know why the Local Finance Committee that drafted the 2013 Annual Budget did not include his proposed budget for the Bantay Dagat Task Force when it was submitted to the City Council.

The Bantay Dagat Task Force is a section under the Office of the Mayor.

Sebusa said his proposed budget was intended to purchase various equipment, including a sea craft, for the use of his personnel to patrol the city’s seawaters.

When the reporters asked Mayor Michael Rama about this, he said, “Sigi lang, gamiton nato ang Public- Private- Partnership.” (We will tap the private sector.)

With that policy, the mayor will accept any help from the private sector to improve the performance of the task force.

The Bantay Dagat head earlier announced that his personnel had stopped confiscating illegally caught fish products that were transported to Cebu City, instead they just let the fish traders return the marine products to its origin.

He said they will just require the fish traders to present proof like bill of ladings and other documents to prove that they really sent back the illegally caught fish products to where these came from.

From January to November 30 last year the Bantay Dagat operatives confiscated about 3,700 kilos of illegally caught fish products amounting to P294,000. These were later donated to the various charitable institutions.

According to Sebusa, the fish traders have assured that they will stop accepting illegally caught fish products, particularly those coming from Mindanao. — (FREEMAN)