IN A MOVE to strengthen the fight against illegal fishing in Cebu City’s municipal waters, plans are underway to establish a Coast Guard (CG) detachment at the South Road Properties (SRP).
Karlon Rama, director of Cebu City’s Bantay Dagat program, revealed this development to SunStar Cebu on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024.
Rama said his team is currently working on a proposed memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the CG.
“The presence of the CG is expected to serve as a deterrent against illegal fishers and ensure that only local, law-abiding fisherfolk can utilize the finite coastal resources within municipal waters,” he explained.
While the CG has agreed to the request in principle, it has asked for permission to place a converted container van at the SRP to serve as its office or barracks and to provide parking space for its rubber boat.
“This is something that is beyond the Bantay Dagat commission to approve, so it was suggested that coast guard submits a draft MOA that we can refer to city legal to scrutinize and for the City Council to deliberate on whether they would authorize the mayor to sign,” said Rama.
The preferred location for the CG detachment is behind the Bantay Dagat Forward Operating Base at the SRP Jetty.
In a related development, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources 7 has provided copies of their resolution to deputize Bantay Dagat program personnel for apprehending violators. This aligns with a resolution authored by Cebu City Councilor Rey Gealon.
The Bantay Dagat Commission issued a resolution on July 5 requesting the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to establish a detachment.
“We’re asking the CG Station of Cebu, under the Coast Guard District Central Visayas, to set up an outpost at our Forward Operating Base and conduct regular patrols against illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing in the city’s municipal waters,” Rama explained in Cebuano.
Rama also said the deputization training with BFAR is in the process of being scheduled. This comes as a response to the challenge of apprehending violators due to Cebu City’s current lack of fish wardens, who serve as force multipliers authorized to apprehend fishery law violators.
The initiatives come in the wake of recent reports about the resurgence of “liba-liba,” an illegal fishing technique, in Cebu City’s waters.
Liba-liba uses a cone-shaped net with wings, attached to a rope with items to scare or guide fish, and can be operated mechanically or manually.
Rama’s Bantay Dagat team posted a video on Facebook on July 6, showing fishermen catching fish through what appeared to be liba-liba.
It called the attention of the PCG and the Philippine National Police Maritime Group that the practice is prohibited under Republic Act 10654, or the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998.
Rama had said in an interview that liba-liba, also known as hulbot-hulbot, deprives fishermen who use the line fishing method of their livelihood.
“Liba-liba is just one of the many threats that are there, which we need to immediately address despite our challenges,” he said in a mix of English and Cebuano.
Rama said Cebu City has no problem with fishermen from other local government units fishing in its municipal waters, but they should refrain from using active fishing gears.
These developments represent a concerted effort by local authorities to protect Cebu’s marine resources and ensure sustainable fishing practices in the region’s municipal waters. / JPS