DAGUPAN CITY - The City Government here conducts a 24-hour monitoring in all entry points and markets in the city to prevent the entry of bangus that died from a massive fish kill that broke out last Thursday in Anda.
This, following a report of the City Agriculture Office (CAO) on Saturday, June 2, 2018 that three cargo trucks loaded with several metric tons of bangus that were found to be no longer fresh and unfit for human consumption were intercepted by the CAO and the police.
The fish kill occurred along the Kakiputan Channel in Anda, Pangasinan as an aftermath of heavy rains which caused decaying organic matter from the bottom of the water to surface and disturb the quality of the water.
She ordered the CAO to closely watch all consignacion wholesalers, retailers and suppliers who might tolerate the delivery and sale of contaminated bangus as this could adversely affect the price of the Dagupan bangus
.
Mayor Belen Fernandez personally inspected the consignation market to make sure that no milkfish that died from the fishkill is being sold.
Reports stated that because of the influx of milkfish from fishkill-affected areas in western Pangasinan, the price of milkfish went down to a cheap P1,000 per “banyera” or P30 per kilo.
An incident report from the Dagupan City Police Station revealed that the drivers of the three cargo trucks failed to present Auxiliary Invoices to personnel of CAO, so their cargoes were seized.
Fish samples taken from the cargo trucks subjected to examination by the CAO and City Health Office (CHO) indicated that their fish cargoes were unfit for human consumption.
Dr. Ophelia Rivera, City Health Officer of Dagupan, confirmed that consumption of milkfish that died from fish kill could lead to allergic reaction causing itchiness as well as stomach ache and diarrhea or loose bowel movement to a person.
To ensure that the confiscated fish will no longer be recycled and sold to consumers, the rotten fish were buried to an open area at the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Bonuan Binloc.
The truck drivers and the owners of the seized shipment had been slapped with the cases of violations of the City Fishing Ordinance no.1768-2003 Section 73 for their failure to secure Auxiliary Invoice for their fish shipment, PD 856 and City Ordinance no.1927-2009 or Sanitation Code (No Sanitary Permit and Health Certificate Card).
Meanwhile, Mayor Fernandez assured that no fish kill occurred in Dagupan because of the continuous cleaning of the coastal waters and rivers by the city government.
"We are managing our rivers, from where 928 fish pens were demolished since I started as Mayor. It took us five years to clean our rivers through consultations with stakeholders, and also we didn’t allow investors from outside Dagupan to exploit our rivers,” she added.
“Today our waters are clear and the oysters are back. Our bangus industry is well protected. I won’t allow anyone to kill our industry,”said Mayor Fernandez. (LGBASA/CIO)
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