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SEN. Francis Tolentino has expressed concern over the Maritime Industry Authority's policy (Marina) of confiscating the catch of fishermen who failed to secure a fishing permit.
The senator on Thursday called out Marina's apparent “difficult regulations.”
During the Senate hearing on the proposed creation of a Special Panel on Maritime and Admiralty Zones, he discovered that Filipino fishermen who fail to comply with Marina's certification requirements suffer the penalty of confiscation of their fish harvest.
He learned about this policy from Michael An, one of the 11 fishermen who survived the collision of their fishing boat with a tanker last October 2 off Pangasinan.
An said fishermen are having a hard time to register their ships because of the inaccessibility of the Marina office, which is located in Manila.
This prompted Tolentino to advise Marina officials to reach out to fisherfolks.
“We're now importing fish. But then, you make it difficult for fishermen [to ply their trade],” he said.
“The root of all of these is the difficulty of securing a permit because you have no satellite offices,” Tolentino added. “Our fishermen are pitiful.”
Marina Enforcement Service Officer Benedicto Manlapaz denied confiscating the fishermen's harvests.
“We are not condoning any of these things,” Manlapaz said.
Tolentino urged the fishermen to file a formal report with the Senate Maritime Zones Committee for appropriate action.
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Credit belongs to : www.manilatimes.net
