MANGALDAN Mayor Bonafe Parayno, backed by the town’s Sangguniang Bayan, ordered the illegal structures along Angalacan River demolished within two weeks.

This, after three large fish pens, and other smaller ones, were found operating along the river particularly in Barangay Palua, Guesang, and Salaan.

Councilor Aldrin Soriano said they chanced upon the illegal structures during an ocular inspection for the enactment of an ordinance regulating swimming along the river.

At the same time, a fisherfolk association in the town applied for accreditation for the construction of fish pens.

Soriano and other councilors confronted Barangay Palua Chairman Perlita Villanueva, who later denied she was notified of the erection of the structures while Merli Sali, Municipal Agriculture Officer of Mangaldan, confirmed that the structures were not registered.

Further, a fisherman said the structures began popping up like mushrooms in December 2020, and were only dismantled during typhoons.

Having determined that the fish pens were illegally built, Parayno promptly ordered the structures dismantled in two weeks ignoring calls of the illegal fish pen owners that they be allowed to harvest before these are dismantled.

Parayno also ordered stricter measures to watch out for other construction of illegal structures along the river.

Soriano clarified, however, that only fish traps are allowed because fish pens cause pollution in the waters of Angalacan River. (Ahikam Pasion)

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