AT least 20 fishermen, led by a retired member of the Philippine Marine, were recently deputized as “Bantay Dagat” to protect Ilocos Norte’s fishing grounds.
“I returned to my hometown of Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte, to live my days in peace. But fighting is in my blood,” Armando Pante said.
Pante, who saw action during the military’s takeover of Camp Abubakar in 2000, declared war against illegal-fishing activities, as he vowed to stop them from destroying the province’s fishing grounds.
The deputization of the Bantay Dagat—a result of a partnership between the local government units (LGUs) in Ilocos Norte, Century Tuna and World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature Philippines—is expected to augment troops that protect the seas against destructive human activities, particularly illegal fishing.
The famed Bantay Dagat system began in the 1970s. Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Fisheries Regulatory and Law Enforcement Division Head Mary Ann Solomon said members of Bantay Dagat are drawn from fishing communities who undergo three days of standardized training.
Upon graduation, they are issued ID cards sanctioned by the BFAR, giving them a three-year window of authority to enforce the Fisheries Code when operating in their respective areas. Dynamite or blast fishing, which became rampant in the Philippines after the Second World War, is a highly destructive means of collecting fish. Powdered ammonium nitrate, kerosene and small pebbles are packed inside a glass bottle and covered with a blasting cap. New designs integrate long metal rods which absorb sound and act as sinkers, WWF said. The blast’s shockwave which travels at about 1,500 meters per second—or the length of 15 football fields—kills or maims fish—sometimes liquefying their internal organs. In 1999 alone, an estimated 70,000 Filipino fishers engaged in dynamite or blast fishing.
“Every day about 10,000 blasts are still recorded throughout the archipelago. The explosions pulverize fragile hard and soft corals, destroying the productivity of our coral reef,” said Gregg Yann, communication and media manager of WWF. Section 88 of Republic Act 8550, or the Fisheries Code of 1998, prohibits dynamite or blast fishing.