Carles exec denies imposing 'for Carles only' policy among fishers
Carles municipal mayor Arnold Betita denied the front page story of The News Today last Monday (March 3) that they are forcing fishermen from their town to sell their catch only in Carles.
Betita made the clarification during a meeting with Gov. Niel Tupas Sr. and Estancia Mayor Restituto Mosqueda yesterday at the governor's office.
The meeting was called by Gov. Tupas to settle the brewing conflict between the two chief executives with regard to the fishing activities in the towns of Carles and Estancia.
Betita said what they are enforcing is the ordinance regulating fishing activities in the municipal waters of Carles.
He said they are imposing permits and license fees among the fishers as it is within the regulatory powers of the local government unit as provided in the Local Government Code of 1991.
But, Betita clarified that no order was issued as regards the selling of the fishermen's catch back to their town.
"We don't do that, this is free enterprise," Betita said after his meeting with Mosqueda and Gov. Tupas.
"Wala nang problema, okay na (The problem's over)," came the pronouncement of Mosqueda while coming out of the room where they had a meeting.
Mosqueda, however, refused to elaborate when pressed about the things discussed in the their meeting.
Tupas said there seems to be a misunderstanding between the two chief executives. "It's good that both of them have talked face to face," Tupas said.
The governor added, what he only emphasized with Mayors Mosqueda and Betita is to respect free enterprise—that is, to give right to the fishers where to sell their catch.
He also told the two mayors to give incentives to fishermen to encourage them to have their fish delivered either in Carles or Estancia.
Tupas said both Mosqueda and Betita also committed to thresh out differences with regard to the regulation of fishing activities in their respective areas of jurisdiction.
Earlier, small fishers from Carles's island-barangays complained that the town's new fishery ordinance require them to sell their catch only in Carles.
Fishers reached by TNT said that sea patrol teams are strategically located in order to block entry in Estancia, center of fish trading in Northern Iloilo.
Most of the island-barangays in Carles are closer to Estancia reason why they have since traded in said town.
Elvis Calidades, a fisheman from Brgy. Talingting, Carles, said the policy poses at least three major problems for him and small fishers alike. First off, he said, buying price at his hometown is at P2,000 per fish bucket. Trading in Estancia is pegged at least P2,600. Secondly, travel back and forth to Carles entails him some 20 liters of gasoline for his banca. Travel back and forth to Estancia usually only takes up about 6 liters. And he was certain too that he was already way beyond the municipal waters. If the policy continues, Calidades fears that it would be the end of his fishing.
Meanwhile, Mayor Mosqueda recently tendered his irrevocable resignation as chairperson of the Northern Iloilo Alliance for Coastal Development (NIACDEV) following the controversy arising from the fish policy implemented by Carles town.
As alliance chair, Mosqueda considered the move of Carles as a direct affront to his leadership particularly since no prior discussion nor notification was made on member town mayors.