Santa Fe cops to fishermen: Follow rules, stop fishing in protected areas

The 20 kilos of fish worth P2,000 are confiscated from 10 fishermen who have been fishing in a restricted area in Barangay Hilantagaan, Santa Fe, Cebu, today, August 21, 2020. | Photo from Santa Fe Police Station

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Santa Fe Policemen are appealing to fishermen to follow the rules especially on the prohibition of fishing in protected marine sanctuary areas.

This, after fishermen from Bantayan town were caught by the Bantay Dagat and Police at around 2 a.m. today, August 21, 2020, fishing in the sanctuary area of Barangay Hilantagaan of the town.

Police Corporal Raymund Escaran of the Santa Fe Police station told CDN Digital that they were able to arrest 10 fishermen and fined them P2,000 each of the required penalty in the municipal ordinance for fishing in the restricted areas.

Escaran said that the fishermen were already released before noon today, after being able to pay a sum of P20,000, which is more than the amount from the fish they caught, which were estimated to be worth P2,000 for 20 kilos. The men were from the municipality of Bantayan, said Escaran.

With this, Escaran said they urged the public to still follow the law despite the crisis being experienced now due to the pandemic.

“Amoa lang gyud bahalag gagmay nga kuha, bahalag gamay nga kita basta dili lang maka violate sa balaod. Kay mao ra man gihapon magsige ta paningkamot unya mosulod gihapon ta sa mga marine sanctuary unya madakpan ta. Dako gihapong problema,” said Escaran.

(We appeal to our fishermen that even if you only have a few catch for the day, then it is better if you just follow the law. Because this is what happened, you work hard and you still enter the marine sanctuary then you will get caught. It will be a bigger problem.)

Escaran said that the arrest of the 10 men was already the second group arrested for illegal fishing for the month of August.

He, however, said that illegal fishing violators had been rampant in the last months after the quarantine started due to the pandemic.

Esacaran said that since the pandemic, the police patrols and the Bantay Dagat of the town had been busy catching fishermen who continued to fish in the protected areas.

He said they were hoping the fishermen would learn their lesson from others who were arrested because there would be no exemptions on who would be arrested even amid the ongoing pandemic.

“Balaod na balaod gyud na,” said Escaran.

(It is the law.)/dbs