ILOILO CITY—Four provinces have called on Congress and the President to declare the 10,000-square kilometer Visayan Sea a national maritime reserve to protect its rich but threatened marine resources.
In a resolution passed during the recent 7th Visayan Sea Summit held on Bantayan Island in northern Cebu, governors and representatives of the provinces of Cebu, Masbate, Iloilo and Negros Occidental said the area should be limited to small or subsistence fishing to enable the fishing ground to recover.
“After decades of abuse and neglect, the marine resources of the Philippines in general and the Visayan Sea in particular have been severely degraded and is now in the brink of collapse,” the governors said in the resolution.
Those who signed the resolution included Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. and representatives of Governors Arthur Defensor (Iloilo) and Hilario Davide (Cebu). Acting Masbate Gov. Vicente Homer Revil is also expected to sign.
Officials of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources also signed the document that was endorsed by environmental lawyer Antonio Oposa.
The declaration of the Visayan Sea as a national marine reserve was essential “despite vigorous enforcement of coastal management of different local government units … because commercial fishing continues to encroach on fishing grounds reserve for small and marginal fishing,” the resolution read.
Limiting fishing activities in the area would help “protect subsistence fisherfolk and provide opportunities to increase their catch,” it said.
Last month, a criminal case was filed against seven fishermen in Iloilo for violation of Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) 246 after they were arrested by the Bantay Dagat Task Force for using the banned Danish seine fishing gear known locally as “hulbot-hulbot” off the coast of Barangay (village) Belen in Banate town.
Hulbot-hulbot is a fishing device, which includes a conical net that is dragged or hauled mechanically or manually. It has been banned because it kills or destroys other marine life and resources on the seabed.
Charged in the provincial prosecutor’s office were Joel Bunda, Alberto Villacura, Jerson Are, Noriel Baes, Jorry Bunda, Rey de la Cruz and Ernesto Legaspi. Police confiscated their boats and fishing gears, according to a report of the provincial public information and community affairs office.
The campaign against illegal fishing covers mostly the northern towns of Iloilo, which are rich fishing grounds that extend to the Visayan Sea.
The signatories of the petition asked the national government to ensure support by providing personnel, funds and prioritization in programs of various agencies.