The 37 ECQ violators from Talisay City who were apprehended for going to the beach on Easter Sunday at the Cebu Provincial Capitol awaiting audience with Governor Gwendolyn Garcia on Monday, April 13, 2020. CDN Digital photo | Rosalie Abatayo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Talisay City Police will be re-evaluating the arrest of at least nine fishermen who were among those apprehended for allegedly violating the Capitol’s policy not to go to all bodies of water on Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020.
Ayi (not his real name), was arrested on the coastline of Barangay Tangke in Talisay City, where he also lives, on Sunday afternoon.
Ayi, a 38-year-old father, however, denied that he went to the shore to loiter or go swimming as part of the Easter Sunday tradition.
He said that he has just disembarked his baruto or pump boat and was heading home when he was arrested.
Ayi and 36 others who were detained by the police for the said violation were brought to the Cebu Provincial Capitol on Monday, April 13, for an audience with Governor Gwendolyn Garcia.
Read: 63 persons rounded up for violating the no-swimming policy in Metro Cebu
A total of 41 alleged violators were arrested in Talisay City but only 37 were brought to the Capitol because the other four were minors and were turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Ayi said he was forced to venture in fishing since the factory that he used to work in had to cease operations due to the enhanced community quarantine and COVID-19.
“Nanginabuhi lang unta ko aron makapasud-an sa akong pamilya. Lisod man pod kaayo og di ko molihok nga akong anak duha kabuok,” Ayi told CDN Digital in an interview before the meeting with the governor.
Ayi was arrested with four other men who were also fishing with him.
CJ, 38, a resident of Barangay Cansojong also said he was just laying his fishnet with three other neighbors when they were arrested by barangay tanods.
‘Okay to fish’
CJ, who used to work as a mall promodiser, also turned to fishing since their house is right across the shore and mall operations have ceased even before the lockdown was implemented last March 30, 2020.
CJ said that on Saturday, when the announcement that no one should go to the bodies of water on Easter Sunday was made, he asked the barangay tanods if fishing is included in the prohibition.
He said the barangay tanods said it was okay to fish that was why he was shocked when they were arrested on Sunday afternoon.
Governor Garcia, after hearing the side of the fishermen, asked Talisay City Police chief Major Gerard Ace Pelare to reevaluate the arrest of the fishermen prior to the filing of cases for violation of the ECQ protocols and the ban in going to the bodies of water.
Pelare, in a separate interview, said they will carefully reevaluate the situation of the 41 persons apprehended in city’s coastal area.
“When they were arrested, the position of the police and the tanods was that they were swimming, in violation of the executive order. It is expected that they will defend themselves,” Pelare said.
“If you ask them one by one, all of them will say they were not violating. We are going to re-evaluate their situation and if really found that they did not violate the EO, we will not file the case,” Pelare added.
Pelare said they aim to file charges against the arrested persons who who really violated Capitol’s directives the latest on Wednesday, April 15. /bmjo