BFAR: Fishes in Oton, safe and good
Mayor Carina Veloso Flores with Vice Mayor Vincent Flores and other local officials from various departments of the Municipality of Oton initiated a "boodle fight" to raise public awareness that fishes in their market is safe and good as declared by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
The event coincidentally took place Monday morning, their Market Day amidst the big crowd mostly composed by market goers in their locality.
Flores encouraged the public for their continuous patronage of the fishes sold in their market as they are still safe for human consumption.
Despite the recent oil spill accident near Guimaras province, fishes within the municipal coastal waters of Oton located a few kilometers away from the site of accident have not been affected.
Flores admitted, a big bulk of the marine products being sold in their wet market originated from other places outside Iloilo province.
Meanwhile, Regional Director Drucela Ong of BFAR and Seafdec-Aqua Culture Department Head Dr. Joebert Toledo were officially invited to validate the safeties of the fishes being sold commercially in Oton public market in particular and in the province in general.
Ong revealed her office made various sampling of the catch on different occasions a week since the start of the oil spill through scientific methods. The result found to be negative from toxic chemical contents. "Sensory and chemical process of sampling has to be done to ensure fishes coming from different coastal towns of Iloilo are free from contamination of oil slick," said Ong.
"We went as far as Antique, Samar and other provinces outside Iloilo and made the same sampling just to be sure and make comparative research and analysis of the fishes," added Ong.
Ong further explained that fishes instinctively avoid anything harmful to their existence and instead swim to other sanctuary for safety.
Provincial Board Member Bernardo Silla together with Sangguniang Bayan Members Jafet Salinas, Greg Calvo, Jose Neil Olivares, Pesyong Carreon, Francisca "Pakit" Espeleta, Virginia Olivares of the municipality of Oton came in full force to show their whole hearted support for the "boodle fight," as suggested by the Fish Vendors Association of Oton. Former Mayor Felix "Totik" Flores and Oton PNP chief of police P/Insp. Vicente Castor Jr. came likewise.
(By Nelson C. Robles)