5 fishermen arrested, P183,000 worth of equipment seized off Romblon

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CALAPAN CITY — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Tuesday (July 7) arrested five fishermen and confiscated their equipment and catch worth more than P183,000 during a maritime law enforcement operation off Banton, Romblon.

The Coast Guard Sub-Station (CGSS) Banton said the suspects were caught using unauthorized diving equipment while fishing in the waters of Dos Hermanas, particularly near Isabel and Carlota Islets in Barangay Libtong.

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Personnel aboard a Bantay Dagat patrol boat intercepted two motorized bancas allegedly engaged in illegal fishing through the use of improvised compression apparatus.

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Authorities said the five arrested individuals are residents of Barangay Lipata in Buenavista, Marinduque.

Six of their companions managed to escape before authorities could intercept them. They were identified only by their aliases “Mon,” “Tapok,” “Piscal,” “Andoy,” “Gara,” and “Rogie,” who were also reportedly from Buenavista, Marinduque.

Seized during the operation were two motor bancas with engines, two 12-horsepower compressor engines with defaced serial numbers, four rolls of compressor hoses with a combined length of about 600 meters, a speargun, four pairs of diving flippers, four weight belts with lead sinkers, about 80 kilograms of assorted fish, and a knife.

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Investigators said the suspects violated Banton Municipal Ordinance No. 01, Series of 2011, which prohibits the use of compressor breathing apparatus in fishing and requires fisherfolk to secure municipal fishing permits and to register.

Divers using compression apparatus, or equipment that delivers surface air, allows fishermen a much longer time underwater to catch marine life, and could disrupt the marine ecosytem and open the doors to overfishing, according to literature regarding the subject.

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The arrested individuals, along with the seized boats and other evidence, were brought to the CGSS Banton headquarters for documentation, inventory, and the filing of appropriate charges. They remain under Coast Guard custody pending legal proceedings. /mr

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