Small fishermen unite to protect Tañon Strait

CEBU, Philippines — To fight big personalities and businessmen that intrude Tañon Strait, small-scale fishermen from coastal barangays of Cebu and Negros Oriental have forged an alliance.

The 43,000-strong alliance of small fishers made a collective appeal before the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate elective officials and law enforcers that receive payola from commercial fishing operators or that refuse to act on illegal fishing reports inside the protected seascape, where commercial fishing is supposedly prohibited.

Vhen Carbon, interim president of Tañon Strait Fisherfolks Federation, said small fishers suffer because commercial fishing is still prevalent inside the country's largest marine protected area that make off with most of their fish catch.

He alleged that some of these big fishing vessels are either owned by politicians and police officials or its owners are protected by them.

He said this situation may have caused disruption in enforcement and even in prosecution.

Commercial-scale fishing operations from home-ported vessels and those coming from other provinces remain to be the biggest problem among small fisherfolks.

There are around 43,000 small fishermen from the 42 cities and municipalities that surround Tañon Strait, which lies between the islands of Cebu and Negros.

The 521,018 hectare strait has been known for its rich marine biodiversity.

It boasts of having 70 species of fish, 20 species of crustaceans, 14 species of dolphins and whales, and 26 species of mangroves.

It covers 18,830 hectares of coral reef. The rare chambered nautilus, giant diamond-backed squid and critically-endangered dugong can also be found in its waters.

Back in 1998, former president Fidel Ramos declared it a protected seascape through Presidential Proclamation 1234.

Recently, Tañon Strait was reinforced as a nationally-declared marine protected seascape after President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law Republic Act 11038 or the Expanded National Integrated Protected Area System last June 22.

Despite the protection accorded by law, its marine wealth is threatened by persistent intrusion of commercial fishing operations, among other illegal fishing means such as the use of dynamite and poison.

The fisherfolk federation recently drafted a petition to the Office of the Ombudsman in Visayas.

"We request the Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas to help in ensuring protection from retaliation by government officials against fisherfolk leaders who boldly report on perceived corruption and malpractices in the fishery sector," read part of the petition.

Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Atty. Paul Clemente assured that the office is more than willing to accept any public assistance or complaint filed against public officials.

He suggested to the fisherfolk leaders that their concerns and reports will surely progress if they provide all details and the particulars of the incident.

They may request for anonymity.

He said the office will assist them also in conducting trainings on how to process complaints.

The federation is an umbrella organization consisting of over 100 fisherfolks' organizations and cooperatives in Tañon Strait.

Its creation was an off-shoot of the three separate forums held in Cebu this month and on July attended by the fisherfolk leaders.

Carbon said the federation is set to hold a fisherfolk congress in September in Cebu City with the support from the environmental organizations Oceana Philippines and Rare. (FREEMAN)