ILOILO – The Provincial Bantay Dagat Task Force based in Concepcion town has to improve its capability of securing the province’s waters from poachers, said Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr.
He planned to procure more “floating assets” and one sea ambulance for the task force.
Illegal fishing remains a problem in northern Iloilo, lamented Defensor.
Bantay Dagat currently has only two functional floating assets.
“Ma-level-up kita sa equipment. We want the Bantay Dagat to have multi-capabilities. It should not focus only on illegal fishing but also on managing the Visayan Sea. It must also have rescue capabilities,” said Defensor.
The provincial government allotted P5 million for the task force’s command center in Concepcion. It will be built on a lot donated by the local government unit of Concepcion headed by Mayor Raul Banias.
“Ang ila command center dapat naga-angut diri sa aton Civil Defense Operation Center (CDOC) sa provincial capitol,” said Defensor.
The CDOC was set up to beef up the provincial government’s response to disasters and emergencies. It had radio communications equipment and television monitors for quick monitoring of weather advisories from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.
The CDOC currently serves as the nerve center of the provincial government’s responses to the coronavirus disease pandemic./PN
