CDOs issued to P’sinan fish cage owners

SUAL, Pangasinan, Philippines – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) has ordered owners of fish cages in Cabalitian Bay here to halt their operations for lack of environmental compliance certificates (ECCs).

The EMB, through its lawyer, Joseph Estrella, imposed P50,000 fine for each structure of at least 17 fish cage operators. As of Thursday, eight cease-and-desist orders (CDOs)  had been issued.

In a letter to Gov. Amado Espino Jr. on Thursday, EMB-Region 1 director Joel Salvador said they gathered that 31 fish cage operators with varying number of structures have been operating outside the 10-hectare mariculture zone in the bay. 

Salvador said this prompted his office to issue the CDOs  against these fish cage operators “who should also be liable to imposition of penalties for violation of Presidential Decree No. 1586, known as the Philippine Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) System.” 

As of Thursday, he said only eight of these operators had received CDOs.

During an inter-agency meeting last Oct. 4, it was learned that the DENR issued an ECC last June but this only covered the 10-hectare mariculture zone designated for 50 fish cages.

As of July 16 this year, there were at least 778 fish cages outside the designated area.

Earlier, TeaM Energy, which operates the 1,200-megawatt Sual power plant, sought the transfer of the fish cages at least 500 meters away from the plant, citing security reasons.