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Saturday, March 25, 2006
Prosecutor orders release of 'dynamited fish'
By Jay Dooma Balnig and Lory Ann B. Bilbao
THE City Prosecutor ordered the release of around 1.6 tons of "suspected dynamited fish" from F/B Elmer 2 after it has been cleared of any violation of the Fisheries Code.
RA 8550 or the Fisheries Code is an act providing for the development, management and conservation of the fisheries and aquatic resources.
City Prosecutor Efraim Baldago approved the report of Assistant City Prosecutor Kenneth John Amamanglon, which stated that the fishes earlier reported by the Task Force Snapper as illegally caught by the use of explosives, were found harvested through legal means.
Amamanglon's resolution was based on the report of the Bureau of Fishery and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) that conducted a validation examination wherein they found that there was no indication that the fishes were caught using explosives.
No less than Edwin Javier, BFAR fish examiner and three others conducted the said examination after Amamanglon requested for it.
The BFAR examination report stated that as far as the fishes' external manifestation, there was no sign of blood effusion at the basal portion of the fins and abdominal area and the scales were intact and no sign of dislocations at the mid-portion of the body.
The internal manifestation showed that the air bladder was not ruptured and the internal organs were intact and in place as well as the absence of hemorrhage in the abdominal cavity and intestine, among others.
The BFAR concluded that the fishes were not caught with the use of explosives.
Opposite
The findings are opposite with that of the City Agriculturist's fish examiner, Romulo Pangantihon who conducted an examination.
Pangatihon's findings showed that the fishes manifested ruptured air bladder, crushed internal organs mixed with blood, broken vertebral columns and with blood stains.
But upon the evaluation of the City Fiscal, it was found that the findings of Bfar was more reliable than that of Pangantihon's and Task Force Snapper.
The boat and fish owner, Leodegario Cape, a native of Hinoba-an, Negros Occidental initially signified his intention of suing Pangantihon and the entire Task Force Snapper headed by Jose Parrenas, chief city agriculturist for confiscating their catch and for sending them to jail for almost seven days.
On the other hand, Assistant City Prosecutor Thaddeus Guadalupe issued a deadline for the Task Force Snapper to account the distribution of four tons of fishes confiscated from F/B Three Sisters last March 14.
Parrenas allegedly distributed the said fishes to various charitable institutions but until yesterday, they failed to produce records on who received the subject fishes and the quantity.
Valid
Meanwhile, Pangantihon stood by his results that the fishes were caught with the use of explosives.
He said he has undergone training which the BFAR itself organized.
He said he has done an examination where the sample fish was found caught by using explosives.
Pangantihon said the fishes' vertebrates were fractured while their air bladders were raptured. The wastes also showed that they have been blasted.
Irregularities
Besides the 1.5 tons of fish confiscated from F/B Elmer 2, the City Agriculturist Office has seized last March 14, some four tons or 4,000 kilos of fishes from F/B Three Sisters.
In line with the provisions in the distribution of the fishes of the Department of Agriculture, the City Agriculturist Office has distributed the same to various agencies.
Aksyon Radyo reported that in a copy of the fish distribution account, it was revealed that only 3,856 kilos were distributed while the rest were not accounted.
Among them were 132 kilos for the Iloilo Rehabilitation Center (IRC), South San Jose - 315 kilos through Barangay chief Elizer Villanueva, Tacas, Jaro - 213 kilos, 112 kilos for Molo, Muelle Loney - 117 kilos.
However, it was reported in the same radio station that an order from the DA ruled that the fishes confiscated should be distributed to various charitable and penal institutions.
Some of the narrated beneficiaries were not at all charitable institutions but were Local Government Units.
(March 24, 2006 issue)
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