Editorial: Where boundaries are not recognized

Saturday, February 4, 2012

MARINE creatures do not recognize boundaries, and so their continued existence relies on international cooperation and treaties.

That is the very reason why there are international treaties that also identify which creatures should be conserved because they are threatened with extinction. Among these creatures are the sea turtles.

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For department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to just brush off the butcher of a sea turtle and the disposal of its part right in the city where turtle conservation gained its major boost is like brushing off its mandate to protect threatened resources.

Brushing off Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) national director Asis Perez view on what should have been done on the case of the turtle butchered by missionaries on board a foreign vessel now docked at Sta. Ana Pier is just as brash, and uncaring. Much like a policeman saying his work doesn’t cover insurgency when right before him a house is being burned by rebels.

While indeed marine turtles are no longer under the coverage of BFAR because of its endangered status, that lawyer Perez cared more for what befell that turtle speaks of a major lapse in how DENR accomplishes its mandate. It’s even more embarrassing that the fisheries director can even cite a specific section in the Philippine Fisheries Code that relates to Cites listed species, while DENR was simply too ready to let a self-confessed violator get away. With officials looking at their mandate in such a cursory manner, then we are just glad that other officials of allied agencies are concerned. For what will happen to us if we allow officials to just shrug their shoulders at infractions, which we are so quick to castigate and punish poor fishermen for?

Dura led sed lex, the law may be harsh but it is the law. Ignorantia legis neminem excusat or ignorance of the law is no excuse. Yes, there is no sign of guilt because these missionaries claim they do not know that international treaties protect sea turtles, and apparently do not even know the law of the land they are presently docked in. How can you detect guilt in a person who claim and is convincing us that he acted without malice? But the carcass is there, the body of evidence is there, should we just let it go at the DENR’s presumption of no guilt?

Director Perez was in a better frame of mind when he said there should’ve have been a probe first before the apology was accepted. We cannot say the same of the DENR here.

Some may say why are we raising so much noise about one turtle?

We say this is not just about turtles; this is about laws and international treaties.

When in Rome do as the Romans do. We never invited these missionaries here. They invited themselves in their own organizational mission, in return the city allowed them to dock and go about their self-proclaimed mandates. The least they could have done in return was know what the laws are and abide by them.