Mayor Garcia establishes reef protection program

Outgoing Cebu City Mayor Raymond Garcia issued Executive Order 15, Series of 2025 aimed at strengthening the city's initiatives to conserve and protect the reef ecosystem.

This measure, which establishes the creation of the Cebu City Reef, followed years of collaborative conservation effort made by the Bantay Dagat Commission, Cebu Technological University and Knights-Stewards of the Sea Inc. as emphasized by the Cebu City Reef Rehabilitation Initiative.

A reef is a natural underwater ecosystem composed of coral, rock, or marine organisms that provide essential habitat for diverse marine life.

Due to overexploitation of marine resources, the City has established a protected area to safeguard biodiversity, restore fish populations, and promote sustainability.

To enforce reef protection, markings and mooring buoys will be installed to define the core and buffer zones.

The Office of the Mayor, through the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resource Office (CCENRO) and the Bantay Dagat, will oversee the administration and control of these designated areas.

Within the established protected reef, no person, natural and juridical, will be allowed to engage in any fishing activity in municipal waters without registration papers and/or valid licenses from the City Government.

Any person found to be engaged in fishing without registration papers and/or valid licenses shall constitute a presumption that the person and/or vessel is engaged in unauthorized fishing.

It will also be unlawful for any person to capture or gather or to cause the capture or gathering of fish, fry, or fingerlings of any fishery species or fishery products without a license or permit from the department or the concerned local government units, as well as to exploit, occupy, produce, breed, or culture fish, fry, or fingerlings of any fishery species or fishery products or construct and operate fish corrals, fish traps, fish pens, fish cages, or fishponds without a license, lease, or perit.

Garcia's EO 15 also emphasized that it shall be unlawful for any person to engage in unreported fishing or to fail to comply with the reportorial requirements as per Section 38 of  the Philippine Fisheries’ Code.

Any person found guilty of violating the prohibited acts enumerated under Section 34 of City Ordinance 2447 will be penalized -- P1,000 for a first offense, P2,000 for a second offense and P3,000 for a third time.

Aside from the corresponding fine, license revocation and imprisonment, at the discretion of the court, for the third offense may also be imposed.

If the violation is committed by a juridical person, the manager or the person-in-charge in the management thereof shall be criminally responsible.

For unauthorized fishing under Section 86 of Republic Act 10654, the boat captain, the three highest-ranking officers of the commercial fishing vessel, and the owner or operator found in violation of this provision will be penalized with confiscation of catch and fishing gear and an administrative fine equivalent to five times the value of the catch or the amount indicated in the category, whichever is higher--P50,000 to P100,000 for small-scale commercial fishing; P150,000 to P500,000 for medium-scale commercial fishing; and P1,000,000 to P5,000,000 for large-scale commercial fishing.

An administrative fine of P500,000 to P1 million to offender of unauthorized fisheries activities under Sec. 87 of RA 10654 along with the dismantling or removal of the structure at the expense of the offender, the rehabilitation of the area affected by the activity, and confiscation of stocks.

For unreported fishing under Section 38 of RA 10654, the owner or operator of a municipal or commercial fishing vessel, along with the three highest-ranking officers of the commercial fishing vessel, who commit unreported fishing within waters of national jurisdiction, shall be penalized with an administrative fine equivalent to the value of the catch or the amount indicated, whichever is higher: P5,000 for municipal fishing, (provided that if the offender fails to pay the fine, a community service shall be rendered in lieu); P100,000 for small-scale commercial fishing; P200,000 for medium-scale commercial fishing; andP500,000 for large-scale commercial fishing. — /JG (FREEMAN)