Stewed pawikan still best seller in Pasil foodie land

The coastal village of Pasil in Cebu City has a secret that make foodies who dig “sinfully exotic” delights come back .

Diners who go to this makeshift eatery on Rallos Street range from dockhands working in the nearby port to top-ranking law enforcement officials. Government officials, policemen, lawyers, businessmen, and even mediamen were among those who troop to this “foodie-land” for its bestseller – stewed pawikan.

Using an aluminium ladle, a cook scoops up the cuisine from a large, steaming cauldron and places it on bowls which are then served on tables beneath a tent where several customers were waiting.

The stewed pawikan, which according to a customer tastes like beef, is sold for P70 per bowl and is often served with corn grits.

“Pagbantay kay magbalik-balik gyud ka kon makatilaw ka niini. (Once you get a taste of this, you’ll surely come back here frequently),” Jaime Sibonghanoy, one of the vendors, told Cebu Daily News.

Aside from its distinct taste, he said customers believe the exotic dish, which commands steep prices in top-class Chinese restaurants, is an aphrodisiac.

A female cohort of Sibonghanoy, who collects payment from customers, admitted that cooking and selling of pawikan meat is prohibited by law.

“Illegal man na. Dakponon na. (Cooking turtles is illegal. We can be arrested),” she explained. The vendors prohibited CDN from taking a photo of the dish.

Every day, the Sibonghanoys cook 15 kilos of pawikan meat which they serve to customers from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. A pawikan weighs 180 to 210 kilograms depending on its size and age.

“Patay na man ni nga gihatud dinhi gikan sa Zamboanga. (The pawikans were already dead when they are delivered here from Zamboanga),” he said.

Based on reports, a kilo of pawikan costs P250 to P350 a kilo, depending on the supply.

Upon learning about the continued illegal offering in Pasil, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said he will look into the matter.

“We will have the matter addressed. We have to find out why that problem continues to exist in the area,” he told CDN.

Rama said selling and eating pawikan meat has been around but no one seem to have put a stop to it despite the creation of a DENR task force last year mandated to go after the turtle meat trade in Pasil.

He said he will appoint someone who shall be on top of the situation in Pasil so they can be effective in solving the concern. “I remind everyone to be a part of environmental preservation,” Rama said.

Penalties

Under Republic Act 9147 or the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act, anyone who is involved in the selling and trade of pawikan meat shall be imprisoned for two years and is mandated to pay a fine of up to P200,000.

The same penalty applies for anyone who eats the meat of the endangered species.

A stiffer penalty of four to six years of imprisonment as well as a fine of P500,000 await the person who slaughter the pawikan.

“Everybody involved will be liable. This is a penal law. Slaughtering our pawikans is basically the same with killing a human being,” said environmentalist lawyer Benjamin Cabrido.

“Our environmentals laws are not taking chances. If these sea turtles will become extinct, they will be gone forever,” he added.

The pawikan (green sea turtles) is on the list of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). As a signatory of CITES, the Philippines, through the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), is taking steps to conserve sea turtles.

Turtles are the only reptiles with shells. Pawikans possess powerful flippers which help them navigate underwater.

INUTILE

Cabrido of the Philippine Earth Justice Center, Inc. (PEJC) expressed dismay over the failure of law enforcement agencies as well as the regional office of the DENR to arrest vendors and those who patronize stewed pawikan in Cebu.

“I’m just wondering why policemen are not enforcing the law. The violation is right on their faces. They should know how to do their job. They should enforce the law because they are being paid,” he said.

“Why do police run after snatchers only? If you compare the penalties, selling and eating of pawikan have stiffer penalties compared to snatching whihh carries the penalty of just two months. That’s the paradox of it,” he added.

The eatery in Pasil is located just about 300 meters from  Station 6 of the Cebu City Police Office.

Cabrido said the policemen in Station 6 can be held liable for failure to perform their duties in arresting those who sell and eat pawikan meat in the area.

Policemen, however, were among the customers of the pawikan eatery of the Sibonghanoys.

Not our job

Senior Supt. Mariano Natu-el Jr., officer-in-charge of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said the sale of stewed pawikan in Pasil has been around for quite sometime.

He admitted that he too was among the customers of the pawikan eatery in Pasil.

“Nikaon man pud ko. (I’ve also eaten pawikan). I also saw lawyers and other people from all walks of life eating in the place. You can’t prevent people from eating there,” Natu-el told CDN.

But after learning about the severity of killing and eating pawikans, he said he now discouraged everyone to stop patronizing dishes of endangered species.

He blames the DENR for failure to stop the sale of pawikan meat.

“If they really wanted to stop the proliferation of pawikan meat, they should arrest the source,” Natu-el said.

He said it is the responsibility of the DENR officials to stop the sale of pawikan meat.

“It is not the police who should coordinate with the DENR. It should be the DENR who should coordinate with the police,” Natu-el said.

Eddie Llemedo, chief of the Regional Public Affairs Office of DENR, said they conducted surveillance operations in Pasil two weeks ago after receiving a phone in tip regarding the continued sale of stewed pawikan in the area.

Unfortunately, he said they were not able to chance upon anyone slaughtering or cooking pawikan.

“We even used surveillance cameras but we could not find one during our surprised visits. Maybe because our surveillance and monitoring is not done everyday,” Llamedo told CDN.

Thus far, no one was arrested or charged for selling or eating pawikan in Cebu.

In 2010, police seized close to 10 kilos of pawikan meat near the Pasil fish market. The  pawikan meat was placed inside a plastic container and was abandoned at a street corner. No one was arrested since the couriers ran away when they saw the law enforcers.

Based on  reports, Llamedo said the pawikan meat came from Bohol and were brought to Pasil.

“When they were transported to Cebu, these pawikans were already slaughtered. All you see is meat and is ready for cooking,” he said.

The DENR formed Task Force Pawikan last year with a mandate to conduct regular surveillance and monitoring.

Llamedo also admonished those who sell young turtles along Magallanes Street in Cebu City to stop what they are doing. If the DENR will find out that these species are green turtles, he said, they will arrest the vendors and confiscate the items.

A vendor, Josephine Coronel, admitted to CDN that they are selling green turtles for P250. She said the turtles come from a supplier in Manila who sourced the turtles from Taiwan.

Llamedo said they have deputized 30 Bantay Dagat members in Cebu to help them locate the pawikan traders.

Llamedo said it’s difficult to distinguish pawikan meat from pork and beef. Law enforcers themselves could not identify pawikan meat, he added.

He said they have to teach the Bantay Dagat members how to identify pawikan meat.

“The bottomline is we should not patronize turtle meat. To all those who sell stewed pawikan, I’m warninf you. We will have unannounced surveillance,” he said.

Moral ascendancy

Llamedo also advised policemen who are customers of the pawikan eatery in Pasil to stop patronizing the food stalls.

“They just have to be reminded about moral ascendancy. We are government employees. We know the law. It’s clear that mere possession of turtle meat like the one served in Pasil is illegal,” he said.

But environmentalist Cabrido criticized the DENR for not doing their part.

“It’s not true that it’s hard to arrest those who are involved in pawikan meat trade. They just don’t have the will to enforce the laws. They don’t know how to enforce the laws,” he said.

“I’m just dismayed that the sale of stewed pawikan is right in our city. It’s a mockery of our wildlife. I hope everybody will do their share in protecting the turles for the benefit of the next generation,” Cabrido said.

A 32-year-old broadcast journalist from a local television network in Cebu was also among those who frequent the pawikan eatery in Pasil.

The journalist, who requested anonymity, said pawikan meat tastes like beef.

He said he just heard from someone about the native food in Pasil, prompting him to try it.

“Actually, people who ate there come and go. Some have cars,” he said.

When asked if he will go back to Pasil to eat stewed pawikan, he said “We’ll see.”

Partner Quiñones, a 42-year-old process server of the Regional Trial Court in Cebu City, also had a day in the pawikan eatery in Pasil. He said he got curious when he saw the food stall swarming with people.

“Nagpatakos man sila. Nisunod lang sad ko (I saw people asking for a serving of the dish so I followed them),” Quiñones said. He said he didn’t know that what they were ordering was pawikan.

“Human nako og kaon, giingnan ko sa ako tapad nga pawikan to. Kon kahibaw pa ko nga pawikan, di unta ko mokaon kay bawal na (It was only after eating when I was told that it was pawikan. Had I known that ahead, I should not have eaten it. I know eating  sea turtle is prohibited by law),” he said.

Stop it

He vowed not to eat pawikan again and urged others  to stop it. “Maluoy baya ta sa mananap. Motabang baya na sila sa mga tawo (Have pity on the animal. Sea turtles help human beings),” he said.

Quiñones said he heard tales of sea turtles bringing sea accident victims to shore.

“Kanang mananapa motabang nato. Dili na sila maldito. Daghang matang sa panginabuhian dili lang pinaago anang mananapa (These animals help us. They are kind. There are other ways to earn a living but not at the expense of these sea turtles),” he said.

Cabrido confirmed that pawikans, like dolphins, assist human beings. “They (sea turtles) are friendly. There were many instances in the past that they helped those who were on the verge of drowning. They have a natural bond with human beings. I hope we will appreciate their role in the environment,” Cabrido said. /Ador Vincent Mayol, Reporter