ILOILO City – In a sweeping crackdown over 10 days, the Regional Maritime Unit 6 (RMU-6) successfully detained 30 fugitives and 32 individuals engaged in illegal fishing activities across Western Visayas.
From July 1 to July 11, RMU-6 operations led to the capture of four individuals listed among the region’s top 10 most wanted, along with 26 others facing charges for various lesser offenses.
The arrests included four drug pushers and three individuals unlawfully in possession of firearms.
Colonel Ervin Glenn Provido, head of RMU-6, cited the unit’s broader enforcement mandate.
“Our mission extends beyond combatting illegal fishing; we’re actively pursuing all forms of criminal activity, particularly illegal drug trafficking and wanted criminals,” he said.
Provido also noted the significant role of collaboration with the provincial Bantay Dagat and other agencies in striving to eliminate illegal fishing practices in the area.
He further encouraged station commanders throughout the region to intensify efforts against both illegal fishing and the pursuit of individuals with outstanding legal cases.
In Iloilo province for example, illegal fishing remains a problem. In a marked ramp-up, the Provincial Bantay Dagat Task Force (PBDTF) apprehended eight modified Danish seine vessels, known locally as “super hulbot”, in the past six months.
The latest seizures occurred on July 1 near Asluman, Carles town.
Danish seine fishing has been outlawed due to its destructive impact on the marine environment. This fishing method involves dragging a seine net along the sea floor, which is highly efficient but causes significant damage to, among others, seagrass beds and corals where fishes spawn.
According to Provincial Administrator Dr. Raul Banias who also heads the taskforce, these commercial fishing vessels are prohibited under Fishery Administrative Order 246-1 and Republic Act 10654 due to their destructive impact on the marine ecosystem.
Banias said the use of “super hulbots”, along with dynamite fishing, has been particularly damaging in the northern and southern seas of Iloilo./PN
