Dolphin about to be butchered in Carcar

CEBU, Philippines - A dead baby dolphin was about to be cut into pieces in Carcar City yesterday when members of the Bantay Dagat arrived and intervened.

The team, however, failed to arrest a certain Renante Lapasaran, the one seen by residents of Barangay Tulay Poblacion II as having brought the dolphin to the area. Lapasaran, a resident of Barangay Tulay Poblacion III, reportedly left the area immediately.

The team’s leader, SPO1 Socrates Familgan, described the dolphin to be 179 cm in length and about less than a year old.

A resident in the barangay said they saw the dolphin floating at sea off the barangay before Lapasaran took and killed it.

Familgan suspected that the dolphin was lost while swimming and eventually became weak when Lapasaran found it.

“Ang istorya ngadto nga patay na kuno nga gikuha unya gitiwasan,” Familgan said.

Lapasaran reportedly had cut off the gill before they arrived.

“Naglisod nami ug identify niya kay daghan nang tao unya diha na’y mga mananagat nga nagtabang pero dali pud kaayong namiya,” Familgan claimed.

They reportedly went to Lapasaran’s residence but the suspect was not around.

Familgan said they will be filing appropriate charges against Lapasaran for violating RA 8550 or the Philippines Fisheries Code of 1998.

Section 11 of the said law states that closed seasons, conservation and rehabilitation measures for rare, threatened and endangered species, as it may determine, and shall ban the fishing and or taking of rare, threatened endangered including their eggs or offspring as identified by existing laws in concurrence with concerned government agencies.

The Carcar City police accompanied by the Department of Agriculture already buried the fish at a designated area.

The Cebu Provincial Anti-Illegal Fishing Task Force already verified the incident and is conducting a separate investigation. – (FREEMAN)