CATBALOGAN, Samar –
Two dolphins attracted a huge crowd of Catbaloganons on Wednesday,
April 25, 2007. The dolphins were at the Police Station not for a
show, they were evidence.
Earlier, PNP
Catbalogan received reports from residents of Barangay San Roque who
said a group of fisherfolks caught four dolphins and were beginning to
butcher the fish.
Immediately, a joint
team of Catbalogan Municipal Police Station composed of SPO4 Edgardo
Orbita and PO1 Roberto Jerusalem, under the supervision and direction
of police chief PSupt Ramil Ramirez, together with the personnel from
the municipal agriculture office headed by its municipal agriculturist
Ruth Dasal and Edgardo Guya, agricultural technologist went to the
site and apprehended Bebiano Mantilla, Ruel Cordowa, Ignacio Matilla
and Manuel Corsame all residents of Sitio Sugod, Brgy San Roque, Buri
Island, this municipality and Jose Menoro of Brgy. Payao also of this
municipality for illegally fishing a threatened or endangered species
known as dolphins as determined by the Department of Agriculture.
Recovered from the
scene is an sliced into pieces and slaughtered dolphins. A case for
violations of Section 97 of RA 8550 is now being filed at the
Provincial Prosecutor’s Office in Catbalogan, Samar docketed under I.S.
No 03318-07-I.
Catbalogan PNP Chief
PSupt Ramil Ramirez said that the fisherfolks, if proven guilty will
be facing P120,000 fine and imprisonment of 10 to 20 years.
He also requested the
media to disseminate the information regarding the law against fishing
these rare kinds of species. He also called on all barangay folks not
to feign ignorant to the law.
“Tigilan na nila ang
pagsabing di nila alam,” (Stop telling us you don’t know the law) an
exasperated PNP chief aired.
Municipal agricultural
technologist Edgardo Guya on his part feels glad that slowly, coastal
rural folks are gaining the awareness on the protection of the marine
life in Maqueda Bay.
He admitted though
that one incident of the sale of a rare whale shark specie also
disturbed him for some time.
With the renewed
vigor of government agencies in the protection of marine life, MAO and
PNP will always join hands in chasing violators of RA 8550 (Fisheries
Code of 1998).
