Friday, July 18, 2008 Speak out: Collection of fees in Hilutungan By Joel Mari S. Yu Managing Director, CIPC
LAST weekend, I took a group of foreign visitors on an island-hopping tour, something I do very often as this activity never fails to impress Cebu Investment Promotions Center’s visitors to Cebu.
When we arrived at the fish sanctuary at the Hilutungan channel, our pump boat was approached by another boat and was boarded by a man who charged us P100 PER PERSON in our boat.
He claimed that this was a new arrangement being imposed by a KOREAN who has secured the rights to do so from the local government of Cordova.
I was shocked by this most stupid attempt by a foreigner to charge Filipinos to ply our own seas and I therefore told the man I will first see the Korean in hell before I pay one red cent.
Mind you, the P100 fee/person was to be collected even if no one swam in the fish sanctuary.
The man who approached us later admitted that ever since this new arrangement was imposed, most boats now turn away from Hilutungan, which is a tragedy, because the fish sanctuary there is one of finest places for snorkeling in Cebu.
I hope this letter prods the appropriate authorities to immediately investigate this report and take immediate action.
If the report about the Korean is true, I am willing to testify and even file a case for immediate deportation of this truly undesirable and despicable alien.
I also hope that the local government unit of Cordova will act immediately against this Korean as I do not believe it will countenance illegal acts like this.
