Authorities from the provincial government’s Bantay Dagat Sugbo seized more than 11,000 kilos of illegally harvested Sargassum seaweeds in barangay Sabang, Danao City last Thursday night.
The 14-wheeler truck which contained the seagrass was intercepted by authorities in a checkpoint at around 11:30 in the evening according to Bantay Dagat Sugbo head Romeo Tapayan.
Driver Samson Lopez from the town of Casabangan, Masbate together with three men who accompanied the cargo were apprehended but were released shortly afterwards.
The shipment’s value was estimated to be at around P100,000. Each kilo of seagrass is worth around P6 to P7 pesos.
Tapayan said the truck could have been headed to a processing factory in Cebu City to deliver the seagrass which is often used in producing plastic and fertilizer.
He cited the Provincial Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Ordinance of Cebu that bans the extraction, gathering and harvesting of seaweed (Sargassum polycystum) and other seaweed species before they are ready for harvest.
“We cannot allow them to make a mockery of our laws. This is clearly prohibited in one of our province’s ordinances,” Tapayan said.
Export
However, the owner of the shipment who requested anonymity said the seaweeds were harvested from the shores of Masbate.
Aside from that, he said they secured a travel permit needed to transport the seaweeds.
“We just collect the brown algae (seaweeds) when it dies and gets washed up to the shore,” he said.
“In fact, people there are very happy when we came to collect because when that rots, it smells. I can’t understand why they stopped us here,” he added.
He stated that they were to deliver the shipment to a customer in Cebu City. Afterwards, the seaweeds will be exported to China and Japan.
But Tapayan maintains that the province’s laws should be implemented.
“The laws of their town cannot supersede the laws of the province,” he told reporters.
According to the ordinance approved by the Provincial Board (PB) last year under the administration of former Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, seaweeds and its other species are “marine habitat” of fish and other sea creatures.
Violators will face an administrative fine of P3,000 and an additional P1,000 for each kilo of seagrass.
Meanwhile, Tapayan said he will forward the case to the Provincial Legal Office to determine the necessary legal action.