Six fishermen were apprehended in separate anti-illegal fishing operations conducted by authorities in Binalbagan and Sagay City before dawn on Thursday, July 16.
In Binalbagan, four fishermen were arrested at around 3:45 a.m. in the coastal waters of Brgy. Enclaro after they were allegedly caught using trawl nets in violation of Municipal Ordinance No. 12-02, Series of 2012.
The suspects, identified only by their aliases “Joey,” “Rogelio,” “Norman,” and “Aljun,” are residents of Binalbagan and Himamaylan City.
Seized during the operation were four trawl nets and eight trawling boards with a combined estimated value of P80,000.
Police said each apprehended fisherman faces a corresponding fine of P2,500 under the municipal ordinance, while the recovered equipment remains under the custody of the Binalbagan Municipal Police Station.
In a separate operation at around 3:15 a.m., personnel of the Sagay Component City Police Station and the Sagay Bantay Dagat Task Force arrested two fishermen inside the Matabas Area of the Sagay Marine Reserve.
The suspects, identified only by the aliases “Nonoy” and “Rony,” both residents of Brgy. Washington, Escalante City, were allegedly caught engaging in illegal fishing locally known as “pamo.”
Authorities recovered one fishing boat powered by a double engine, two kilograms of assorted fish valued at about P340, and a fishing net, with the total value of the seized items estimated at P115,340.*
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