Thursday, September 18, 2008 Avila hopes Fisheries Code rules completed by yearend
THE implementing rules and regulations of the Local Fisheries Code of Davao City and the ordinance establishing Marine Protected Areas should be out by end of the year, according to environmental advocate and Davao City Councilor Leonardo R. Avila III.
"This is an urgent measure, and it must be acted on immediately," Avila said in Wednesday's Ugnayan sa Mandaya at the Royal Mandaya Hotel here in Davao City.
The councilor said he has already asked the mayor for the creation of a technical working group to work on the IRR of the two legislations. Without the IRR, the two ordinances cannot be enacted.
Avila said there were already conflicts arising from the confusion brought about by the non-implementation of the two ordinances despite their passage almost a year ago.
"In the case of the bancas, the registration of the bancas will be transferred to the local government from the Marina under the ordinance. So the Marina has stopped registering the bancas but the city also cannot register the bancas as there is no IRR yet," Avila said.
"So if the bancas are inspected, they have no registration to show, they get arrested," Avila said.
The councilor said that if by October the technical working group is already created, it could already work on the IRR and have it completed before the end of the year.
