60 more Dagupan fish pens to be dismantled

DAGUPAN CITY, Philippines – At least 102 fish pens in the city’s rivers have been dismantled and 60 more are expected to be gone in a week’s time as their owners beat the mayor’s deadline.

Mayor Belen Fernandez wants all fish pens removed from the city’s rivers, saying the city is incurring losses, as it does not collect taxes from their operators.

She also said the fish pens pollute the rivers, and the city itself pays for the salaries of those tearing them down.

“This is wrong. You see we spend money for something the city does not benefit from. I hope this won’t happen again,” she said.

From Aug. 30 to Sept. 5, city agriculturist Emma Molina, in a report to Fernandez, said 53 fish pens had been dismantled in addition to 47 others torn down from July to August. Two others were voluntarily demolished by their owners.

The fish pens mushroomed before the May elections. And when Fernandez assumed her post, she ordered the city agriculturist’s office to totally dismantle them until the end of August.

Molina said motorboats used by her office in the demolition have conked out, causing a delay in meeting the mayor’s deadline.