ILLEGAL FISH PEN OPERATIONS

A MIFFED Mayor Belen Fernandez appeared at the Monday flag-raising ceremony of city hall employees last Nov. 21 to stress that the crackdown on illegal fish pens in the rivers of Dagupan has not stopped and defended the campaign against criticisms leveled at her administration.

Speaking during the program after the ceremony on Nov. 21, Fernandez told employees that since she came into office in 2013, she had caused the demolition of more than 600 illegal fish pens that sprouted in many rivers of Dagupan, a fact that she said her critics refused to acknowledge.

She called on officials and employees not to believe published reports that her administration is not doing anything to stop the operations of illegal fish pens.

“Kahit ipagsigawan nila, kahit atakihin pa ako sa newspaper, wala akong pakialam. Mayor ako ng Dagupan,” Fernandez told the gathering.

She said as mayor, “makikinig ako” if an owner of a fish pen comes to her and asks that he or she be given a little time till the fishes grow to marketable sizes.

The mayor admitted that the picture of the illegal fish pen published in The PUNCH, is one that belongs to a fish pen owner who asked that he be given one week to harvest his fish within which his buyer was expected to come.

He assured the city hall employees that the fish pen that was granted an extension will be removed after one week.

“Sayang naman ang ginawa natin sa loob ng tatlong taon para pagsabihan po tayo ng ganon,” she said. “Akala nila siguro, hindi tayo nagtratrabaho. Ako ang mayor na kausap ng taongbayan,” she intoned.

She pointed out that the clearing of rivers cannot be done in just one day, two months or even three years. “It is a continuing process and non-stop,” she added.

She said a program clearing the bottom of rivers of discarded nets is ongoing to make the flow of water towards the Lingayen Gulf faster.

The mayor announced that the clearing of rivers will be intensified further with the arrival of two brand new backhoes purchased by the city government to be mounted soon on a barge in order to be able to operate in the middle of rivers.

“This means, we will not only make our rivers beautiful but will make sure that our small fishermen will benefit from them in terms of more fish catch and more income, ” the mayor added.

In defense of City Agriculturist Emma Molina, the mayor said she and Molina are attending a national river summit to learn how other local governments are taking care of their rivers and apply it in Dagupan.

Meanwhile, on order of Mayor Fernandez, Task Force Bantay Ilog recently demolished one fish pen being built by a barangay kagawad of Salapingao and was about to demolish another when heated arguments erupted between members of the task force and the kagawad.

Task Force chief Maximo Solis said Thursday his men was returning to the area to finish the demolition. Meanwhile, Fernandez ordered the City Legal Office to study the possibility of filing a case against the barangay kagawad for violating the ordinance. (Leonardo Micua)

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