THE recent blast fishing incident in Cebu City not only harmed the marine ecosystem but also robbed future generations of vital marine resources, according to Cebu City Bantay Dagat Commissioner Ed Karlon Rama.
“What they did puts our reef (Cebu City reef) at risk, they are also stealing from future generations,” Rama said in a text message on Sunday, March 9, 2025.
The illegal fishing occurred around 6 a.m. on Saturday, March 8, when perpetrators aboard four fishing boats threw homemade explosives, locally known as binayo, into a rehabilitated reef.
According to Rama, the incident, perpetrated by non-Cebu City residents, steals from the city’s fisherfolk.
Discovery
The blast fishing incident was discovered when a team of divers from Bantay Dagat and Cebu Technological University arrived at the reef around 6 a.m. to retrieve sediment traps as part of an ongoing marine study.
Upon reaching the site, the divers saw four fishing boats in the area.
The explosions, which occurred four times at 40-minute intervals, left craters on the seafloor and killed numerous fish.
The perpetrators collected the floating fish and used a compressor and hose to retrieve those that sank.
Individuals “sped away” when the team saw the incident.
Bantay Dagat divers recovered samples of the specimens or the blasted fish, which will be turned over to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources for examination.
Rama also said two craters were found on the seafloor. These were the physical damage caused by the explosion.
He said the blast fishing incident set back efforts to rehabilitate the reef, which have been ongoing since late 2020.
He said the extent of the damage is still being assessed in consultation with marine biologists.
“Siyempre, wala ta malipay (Of course, we’re not happy). We’ve been working there since late 2020, back when Mayor (Raymond Alvin) Garcia was a councilor. We do what we do to help give our fisherfolk’s in Cebu City a good chance at being able to put food on the table,” he said.
Background
According to a SunStar Cebu report on Jan. 2, 2025, the Cebu City Bantay Dagat program is set to enhance its campaign against illegal fishing by acquiring its own patrol boat, improving its ability to monitor and protect city waters.
As part of the P14.6 billion annual budget approved by the City Government for 2025, the Bantay Dagat Office was granted over P8 million, with P1 million allocated for the purchase of a new patrol boat.
Rama expressed optimism about this development, emphasizing that the new boat would greatly improve their seaborne patrol operations.
Bantay Dagat currently relies on two private boats, limiting its patrol capacity and ability to catch illegal fishers, particularly those using liba-liba (Danish seine) — a fishing method banned under Republic Act 10654, or the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998.
Between July and December 2024, the program conducted 65 seaborne patrols and 44 coastline inspections, with the new patrol boat expected to further enhance these operations.
In July last year, the lack of fish wardens forced the City Government to partner with other agencies to address the resurgence of illegal fishing.
On July 6, a video showing fishermen catching fish through what appeared to be the Danish seine fishing method was captured on video and posted on Bantay Dagat’s Facebook page.
The team called the attention of the Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine National Police Maritime Group since the practice was prohibited by law. / CDF