DENR: 2,095 tons of bangus, tilapia lost in 12 days

MANILA, Philippines -  About 2,095 metric tons of bangus and tilapia worth P200 million were lost in Batangas and Pangasinan in a span of only 12 days, officials said yesterday.

Speaking at the Senate, Nilo Tamoria, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Calabarzon executive director, said 2,056 metric tons of bangus and tilapia were affected in Taal Lake from May 27 to June 6.

In nine municipalities along Taal Lake, the fishkill affected P144 million worth of fish in 339 cages, he added.

Asis Perez, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) director, said in Anda and Bolinao, Pangasinan, the total damage reached P37 million equivalent to 39 metric tons of bangus, estimated at P80 per kilo.

The fishkill occurred for only two days (May 30 and 31) in Anda, he added.

Perez said the fishkill was due to lack of oxygen caused by the slow flushing of water in Kakiputan Channel.

Fish pens were not recommended in Kakiputan Channel, which was considered a “high risk area,” he added.

Perez said the fishkill could have been prevented had operators followed the rules on maintenance of fish pens.

“It could have been avoided,” he said.

Fishkill have four causes: oxygen depletion and overstocking; pollutant toxin; natural toxin and diseases from bacteria and fungi, BFAR said.

At the start of the hearing, Agriculture Assistant Secretary Salvador Salacup said fishkill can be attributed to natural and man-made causes. Overstocking of fish (man-made) also led to the death of the bangus and tilapia in the areas, he said.

In Taal Lake, the change in temperature from hot to cold (because of rainwater) resulted into the “asphyxiation” of fish, Salacup said.

However, Perez said the fishkill was limited to the two municipalities in Pangasinan because other fish pen owners have learned their lessons from past experiences.

The Sabak area that includes Alaminos and nearby provinces have well-managed fish pens, he added.

About 1,300 fish pens must be dismantled in Taal Lake area, Perez said.

Sen. Francis Pangilinan, Senate committee on agriculture chairman, blamed the fishkill on illegal fish pen.

“What we see in the hearing is that the fishkill was man-made,” he said. “The temperature may have had some contribution (into this) but the primary cause is overstocking and overfeeding of the fishes. We subscribe to the position taken by the director that greed, ganid was the reason for these.

“This is not natural, this is by and large, a man-made fishkill.”

Pangilinan challenged local officials to enforce the Fisheries Code, Natural Integrated Protected Areas Act and local resolutions.

However, Perez said concerned government agencies and local officials in Batangas have not been remiss in their duties in monitoring of fish pens in Taal Lake, a protected area under the law.

The 6,000 fish pens that can be put up around the area have doubled to 12,000 in recent years, he added.

Perez said a majority of illegal fish pens in Taal Lake have been dismantled.

“The dismantling have a process… 40 fish pens can only be dismantled in a day, you have to know how difficult to dismantle just one fish cage so that is how hard it is,” he said.

Perez said the fishkill in Taal Lake is only a small fraction compared to the fish supply in the entire country.

“We have enough supply, no problem,” he said.

The fishkill in Batangas can be traced to agricultural pollution and overcrowding of fish cages, according to UP Marine Science Institute deputy director Gil Jacinto.

Dead fish floating in Angat Dam

Dead fish were reported yesterday floating in Angat Dam, a source of drinking water for most of Metro Manila.

However, Martin Francisco, Sagip Sierra Madre Environment Society Inc. (SSMESI) head, said the dead tilapia, mudfish and catfish found floating in the dam are not linked to the fishkill in Batangas.

They were not of significant volume, he added.

Francisco said the fish apparently died from lack of oxygen and high level of ammonia caused by rotting wood and leaves.

Francisco said the affected portion of the dam in Sitio Maputi, Barangay Kabayunan in Doña Remedios Trinidad town in Bulacan is being monitored.

SSMESI, along with the Bulacan Environment and Natural Resources Office and the National Power Corp., which manages Angat, conduct regular inspection and water testing at the dam, he added.

Angat Dam supplies water to 97 percent of households in Metro Manila and irrigates some 27,000 rice lands in Central Luzon, mostly in Bulacan.

PhilHealth covers food poisoning

Members suffering from food poisoning from eating bangus (milkfish) affected by fishkill in Batangas and Pangasinan can avail of benefits from the Philippine

Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).

Dr. Rey Aquino, PhilHealth president and chief executive officer, said food poisoning is compensable.

“While we do not wish our members to experience food poisoning, we want to assure them that in case hospitalization is required, they can bank on their PhilHealth coverage for financial protection,” he said.

Aquino said food poisoning is classified as “cast type A,” for which PhilHealth provides subsidies for hospital room and board fees ranging from P300 per day in level 1 hospitals to as much as P500 per day in level 3 hospitals.

The benefit package also includes allowances for X-ray and other laboratory examinations like fecalysis and complete blood count, he added.

Aquino said allowances for drugs and medicine ranged from P2,700 in level 1 hospitals to P4,200 in level 3 hospitals for a single period confinement.

“We also provide allowances for the professional fees of the attending physicians,” he said

“A member just has to make sure that his premium contributions and his member data record are updated.”

PhilHealth has 1,568 accredited hospitals nationwide. – Christina Christina Mendez, Ding Cervantes, Sheila Crisostomo