Strengthening the campaign against illegal fishing and management of the Visayan Sea in the Philippines must also be a priority of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO), especially for the new director, Police Colonel Ronaldo Palomo, said Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr.
The provincial government allocated P5 million to northern Iloilo for the construction of a resilience hub to serve as headquarters of police personnel, together with the Iloilo Provincial Bantay Dagat, who would patrol the waters against any kind of illegal fishing activity.
“We want to rationalize ang aton nga operation sa illegal fishing and the management of the Visayan Sea, amo na ang aton direction together with our PNP (Philippine National Police),” said Defensor.
He further prioritized this since fish is a source of protein, especially with the impending reduction in the supply of pork in the province due to the African Swine Fever (ASF).
“That is the priority because that is the source of protein; dapat ma-maximize ta gid ang halin sa dagat naton considering that we are facing problems sa baboy or even chicken is threatened, so we are looking at other sources,” he added.
Aside from northern Iloilo, another P5 million was downloaded by the provincial government to the central and southern parts of the province for resilience hubs.
In response to the governor’s call, the IPPO conducted 13 anti-illegal fishing operations, which resulted in the apprehension of 50 fishermen.