'We are winning the war vs illegal fishing,' Concepcion mayor declares
No truth to reports of renewed rampant illegal fishing in Northern Iloilo or at least, within the territorial jurisdiction of coastal town, Concepcion.
And as 'proof,' Mayor Elizabeth "Betsy" Salcedo said, there has been notable increase in 'hook and line' fishers in the locality alongside zero-recent reports of illegal fishing activities.
Such was the clarification of the lady mayor amidst reports of the resurgence of illegal fishers in the district.
"As far as we are concerned in Concepcion, it is not true that illegal fishing is rampant. It may not be totally out but we are winning the war. In fact, we have just finished with the latest training programs for our fish wardens and our "Bantay-Dagat" (sea patrol) team is very active with their monitoring," Mayor Salcedo said.
The lady mayor was reached for comment during Sunday's collaborative forum with First Son, Pampanga Representative Mikey Arroyo. The forum was initiated by the local government unit of Estancia and saw other Fifth District mayors Elvira "Little" Alarcon of Batad, Pio Villanueva of San Dionisio, Balasan Mayor Ganzon and Carles Mayor Arnold Betita.
"In the past, the most that we have gathered are reports on dynamite fishing... the illegal fishers are both locals and from outside Concepcion but recently, there has not been any such incidents... and no, even in our Northern Iloilo Alliance for Coastal Development, we have not received such report that illegal fishing is rampant in the area again," Salcedo added while saying campaign against illegal fishing is a serious business for the alliance. "In fact, each of us (referring to coastal towns in the district) also have our own Ordinances passed to provide protection for our fishing grounds."