9 fisherfolks apprehended for illegal fishing in Daanbantayan

For fishing on the seawaters around Isla de Gato in Daanbantayan town in northern Cebu without any permits, nine fishermen on board three motorized bancas from nearby Bantayan Island were apprehended by law enforcers. | Photos from Daanbantayan LGU

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Law enforcers from Daanbantayan town apprehended nine fisherfolks on Monday, July 27, for illegal fishing within the municipal seawaters.

The local government of Daanbantayan, in social media, said the town’s Bantay Dagat team, Daanbantayan Police Station and the Regional Mobile Force Batallion in Central Visayas (RMFB-7) spotted nine fishermen from the nearby Bantayan Island on board three motorized bancas while fishing in the waters around Isla de Gato.

“The joint operation of Daanbantayan Police Station, Bantay Dagat Daanbantayan, and 701st Maneuver Company, Regional Mobile Force Batallion 7 (MC, RMFB7) under the supervision of PMAJ Manuel A. Cabanlit led to the arrest of nine fisherfolks today, July 27, 2020, due to illegal fishing within the municipal waters of Daanbantayan,” Daanbantayan’s local government unit (LGU) said.

Daanbantayan is a first-class municipality situated at the northernmost tip of mainland Cebu and is located approximately 140 kilometers north of Cebu City, the province’s capital.

Local officials also said the fishermen were sailing using unregistered motorized bancas, which they pointed out as a violation of an existing ordinance mandating fisherfolks to register first before fishing within the municipal waters.

“The nine fishermen, their bancas and fishing gears were all unregistered which is a violation of Municipal Ordinance 98-02,” they added.

For violating such rules, the apprehended each fisherman will be facing a penalty of P2,500 as an administrative fine. Their fishing equipment was also confiscated, the LGU of Daanbantayan said. /dbs