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Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Editorials: Jojo de la Victoria’s death
THERE seems to be a growing belief linking the shooting to death of Elpidio “Jojo” de la Victoria to his joining the push to rehabilitate the Visayan Sea by temporarily banning commercial fishers from the area.
Commercial fishing is big business, and the view is that killing de la Victoria was a small price to pay for continued profitability.
But de la Victoria was not just with the Visayan Sea Squadron, which sought the commercial fishing ban, but was foremost project director of the Cebu City Bantay Dagat Commission and market administrator, two tasks he aggressively implemented.
He tangled with illegal fishermen, makers of explosives used in illegal fishing and with erring stallholders, some of which were kicked out of the city’s markets.
Cause
Still, whatever angle investigators will look into, there was one continuous thread in de la Victoria’s actions as a public official, and this was his no-nonsense pursuit of a cause few individuals and groups are interested in: protection of our marine resource.
Indeed, it would be difficult to separate his drive against illegal fishers to his strict implementation of fishing laws in the city’s public markets to his extending his reach outside Cebu City as he went after the sources of explosives used in illegal fishing.
These activities made him a valuable force in the Visayan Sea Squadron and were among the reasons he remained head of the national group of fish wardens for years.
Martyrdom
Thus, if de la Victoria’s death was really related to the tasks he implemented with rare vigor, one can make a case for him as a martyr of the cause for marine protection if not in the country then at least in Cebu.
But that would matter only if it raises public awareness of the problem and leads to increased vigilance, otherwise those opposing the cause for which de la Victoria may have sacrificed his life would have succeeded in weakening it.
Culture of violence
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña may have the best of intentions in raising a reward money of P200,000 for information leading to the arrest of the killer/s of Elpidio “Jojo” de la Victoria and P1 million for information on the mastermind.
He should be reminded, however, that de la Victoria’s killing could not be separated from the vigilante-style killings he admitted inspiring—all of them are products of the culture of violence seemingly in place in Metro Cebu now.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (April 18, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here.
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