|
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Fishers voice alarm over vessels
By Stephen Capillas
LOCAL fisher folk groups voiced fears of losing their livelihood once commercial fishing vessels operating in Bohol and Visayas that got affected by the Guimaras oil spill shift their operations to Northern Mindanao.
During Wednesday's forum, fisher folk groups from Gingoog Bay, Macajalar Bay, the Lanao provinces, the towns of Opol, Villanueva and Jasaan in Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon province, said they feared these commercial fishing vessels would inflict more pressure on the already limited fisheries and marine resources in their areas.
This came amid reports that the National Government allotted P2 billion for the Guimaras oil spill cleanup and resorted to low-tech methods such as using human hair and chicken feathers to expedite the process.
It was also learned that commercial fishers from the towns of Opol and Jasaan, operating in the seas off Bohol and Eastern Visayas, may also be compelled to fish in the waters of Region 10.
Task Force Macajalar spokesperson Bencyrus Ellorin said the forum participants moved for a resolution calling on the Coast Guard and the Marina to bar commercial fishing vessels from operating in municipal waters.
He also said the fisher folk also filed a resolution calling on the Coast Guard and the Marina to monitor and double-check oil tankers to determine if they are seaworthy.
"These agencies should see if these ships are double-hulled instead of single-hulled because the Solar I vessel that sunk off Eastern Visayas due to bad weather is single hulled and thus easily damaged," he said.
Ellorin said oil tankers pass by the waters of Northern Mindanao and said any damage caused by an oil spill would be severe and extensive. "Once the oil spill destroys the 'house' -- the seas -- these fishes and marine life will disappear," he said.
Back in Manila, the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID) already issued hold departure orders on four Japanese nationals and three Filipinos who owned the shipping company that operated the Solar I vessel, which was the source of the oil that spilled all over the Guimaras area.
The Task Force Guimaras was given a two-week deadline by the President to complete its air, water, oil and land samples in order to determine which areas are safe from the oil spill and which remain hazardous.
(August 31, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
SUPERBALITA
|
