By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), and local Bantay Dagat teams arrested six fishing boat crew members over the weekend for alleged illegal fishing off Guimaras.

PCG personnel identified the crew members of the Negros Occidental-licensed fishing boat as 47-year-old Antonio Hermosa, 38-year-old Erwin Genosa, 30-year-old Ariel Paradero, 64-year-old Virgilio Denopol, 32-year-old Joey Mones, and 59-year-old Joel Gatuslao, 59, all of Hinigaran.

According to the PCG-Guimaras station, the suspects were caught aboard the fishing boat F/V MIC MIC six nautical miles southeast of Unisan Island, part of Nueva Valencia, Guimaras. The fishing boat was caught trawl fishing, when a net is pulled through the water.

Once arresting team boarded the boat, crew members failed to produce a permit for their fishing operations.

The fishermen faces charges in violation of PCG rules and Guidelines and RA 10654, or the The Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998.

Meanwhile, the boat was turned over to the Nueva Valencia Bantay Dagat, with crew members now detained at the Nueva Valencia Municipal Police Station custodial facility./DGB, WDJ