Mandaue City acquires new patrol boat

Mandaue City’s campaign against illegal fishing got a big boost after it acquired a P1.4-million  patrol boat.

“We can now go against illegal fishers and conduct sea rescue operations,” said Mandaue Mayor Jonas Cortes in yesterday’s blessing of the new patrol boat  at the Looc barangay gym.

The patrol boat was  later loaded offshore at the Looc Wharf.

The 27-foot-long fiberglass sea craft is  equipped with a sonar depth detector, life raft, life jackets, rescue ring, siren, stabilizer and rescue ring. It was produced by a  Camarines Sur-based company.

The boat has a seating capacity for   20 passengers and  reaches a  maximum speed of 30 knots with its 115 Mercury horsepower engine.

“We have a lot of coastal barangays that we need to protect. As we inspect and apprehend illegal fishers we greatly need this. Before, we just rented boats,” Cortes said.

Operations of the boat will be centralized by the Bantay Mandaue Command Center at the City Hall Grounds.

The sea craft will be manned by seven persons in four shifts. The skipper will come from the City Agriculture Office. Two  police officers will join the patrols.

The mayor  led the oath-taking  of officers  of the Bantay Dagat Association with their president Luis Bontoyan; Vice Mayor Glenn Bercede; Councilor Jimmy Lumapas, chair Committee on Agriculture; and Rolando Tiro, OIC of the City Agriculture.

Tiro said over 500 fishermen from Looc, Umapad, Opao, Labogon, Paknaan and Jagobiao have complained about  illegal fishers poaching in their municipal waters.

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