Couple turns over 14 sacks of corals to Capitol

Loi Madrigal of the Provincial Anti-Illegal Fishing Task Force shows the confiscated illegal corals. (CDN PHOTO/ LITO TECSON)

Fourteen sacks of corals were retrieved from a coral processing plant by the Provincial Anti-Illegal Fishing Task Force in barangay Cansojong, Talisay City  last Friday.

This was the task force’s third operation in three days in Talisay City, where they seized a truckload of seashells last Wednesday and another four sacks of seashells and corals from a car shop last Thursday.

The visit to the plant owned by Alfredo and Teresita Ylaya was prompted by a  request of the Bureu of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) because of complaints from neighbors about the stench and air pollution from the facility, said task force head Loy Anthony Madrigal.

The plant has been processing corals for fashion jewelry for 20 years.

Madrigal said he negotiated with the owners.

“I told them that it would be better if they just surrender the corals because it’s really prohibited,” he said. The owners  handed over the corals to the task force.

The Ylayas will be facing further questioning by Madrigal at the Capitol tomorrow.

Madrigal said that the variety of corals found in the plant were blue corals and red sea fan corals, which, according to his source, are under “threatened” category. BFAR representatives will verify this information tomorrow.

The corals are currently at the Capitol for safekeeping.

Madrigal said he plans to ask Fine Arts students to design  a structure out of the corals.

“Since these corals are already damaged, it’s impossible to return them to the sea. What we can do instead is to create a display which we can put in diving spots like Moalboal and Malapascua so there’s still use for them,” said Madrigal.

He said healready mentioned the plan to a group of environmentalists, who agreed. He will consult the BFAR and environmentalist-lawyer Antonio Oposa about the plan.

Last Thursday, the Capitol task force found on a car lot along the South Road Properties (SRP) in Talisay City some handicrafts made out of  seashells and corals.

Four sacks containing 16 different species of seashells and corals were recovered from the second-hand car shop. The sacks, dumped beside vehicles on display, contained small vases, women’s handbags and house handicrafts coated with small shells.

Sea fans, a type of coral which takes 150 years to regenerate, were also found in the sacks.

“They dismissed the shells saying those were already old and were just stored. But I don’t believe them. They were already given a notice from BFAR in the past to surrender the endangered shells,” he said.

Some of the items bore the sticker “Made in the Philippines,” indicating that these were for export.

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