Provincial government won’t return yet apprehended boat

CEBU, Philippines - The truck apprehended last Wednesday in Liloan town for transporting 770 kilos of blasted fish will remain under the custody of the provincial government pending the investigation.

This, as the driver of the truck and his three helpers denied having knowledge on the cargo.

Dave Maraba, the driver, a resident of San Remigio town, and Carlos Edaño, one of the helpers, went to the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office on Thursday and asked that the vehicle be released but to no avail.

“Mihangyo mi sir nga mabalik namo ang sakyanan kay inabangan ra to,” Maraba told reporters. He added that they were only directed by their boss in San Remigio to transport the boxes of fish to Pasil in Cebu City. He said that the fish were sourced from Masbate and sold at P1,500 per box.

“Kabalo mi nga isda to pero wa mi kabalo nga pinabuthan diay,” he said.

Eleven boxes containing blasted fish were confiscated from them by the the Cebu Provincial Anti-Illegal during a market denial activities Wednesday in Barangay Cotcot, Liloan.

Lawyer Czareem Estella, the newly designated coordinator of the task force, said his team upon noticing that the truck slowed down into a complete halt some 50 meters away from them asked the driver to open the cargo but Maraba reportedly refused to do so, saying the cargo only contained chicken cuts.

When the team checked the cargo, they recovered 35 boxes of fish, 11 of which contained fish caught through dynamite as confirmed by fish examiner Rodelio Codilla, who accompanied the team during the checkpoint.

But Maraba explained that they did not recognize the vehicle of the task force when it approached them, prompting them not to disclose what is inside the cargo. “Nagtoo mi nga di taga-PENRO mao to ingon mi nga manok kay for registration pa man ilang sakyanan,” he said.

The seized dynamited fish were turned over to Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center for consumption. Estella submitted a report to the Provincial Legal Office on Thursday for appropriate actions. — (FREEMAN)