Editorial - Elephant in the room

Boxes and boxes of endangered corals and several species of shells were seized from the house of a barangay captain in Mactan. It is said that the gathering and selling of these banned items has been going on for some time now.

The authorities may be congratulated for the seizure. But such congratulations feel limp in face of the fact that they could have taken action a long time ago. As reported, the illegal activity is rampant in the area. And engaged in no less by an official.

In other words, it was like an elephant in the room, too large to miss, yet apparently managing to remain unseen until, by whatever stroke of good luck or evil mischief, authorities suddenly noticed and pounced.

Situations such as this, however, hardly surprises anyone. The illegal gathering and trade in banned items such as protected marine products and resources is a thriving industry right under the noses of authorities in Cebu.

Sometimes, these illegal activities become so commonplace most people assume there is nothing wrong with them, that they are a regular part of anyone's day. In fact one such activity has taken on the character of something as common as a daily meal.

Anyone who has been around, or at least not oblivious to life and living, should at least have a fairly good idea where to go to in case he or she gets a sudden craving to have some real hot turtle soup made of "pawikan," an endangered and protected kind of giant turtle.

The soup kitchens of Pasil are where this and other exotic treats can be found. And they have been dishing these "delicacies" like forever, and out in the open. No attempt has ever been made to hide or make a secret of the trade. It is there even for officials supposed to stop them.

And certain sidewalks in the city abound with interesting displays of exotic animals and birds, most of them also endangered and protected. But except for a few token raids, they are usually left alone.

So what is the big deal about the coral seizure? Pardon the pun, but it is just a seizure in official character, an aberration that happens from time to time. For whatever reason, we can only surmise.