By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Following the recovery of 1.5 tons of giant clams earlier this year in Sagay City’s Barangay Molocaboc, Sagay City police chief, Police Major Antonio Benitez, Jr., and intelligence operatives, Police Staff Sergeants Ranie Sanico and JR Grande, received the Medalya ng Kagalingan award during a recent flag-raising ceremony at Police Regional Office-6 (PRO-6) headquarters at Camp Martin Delgado in Iloilo City.
Last April, Benitez and his unit, alongside officials from the Negros Occidental Protected Area Management Board, recovered 127 giant clams. The case resulted in the arrest of  60-year-old Felix Causapin, 49-year-old Lito Cañete, and 54-year-old Adan Atabelo, all residents of the said barangay.
Sagay Marine Reserve resource assessment head Jose Roberto Togle said the fishermen had allegedly been contracting with an anonymous buyer who offered to buy the clams at P1,000 per kilogram.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature considers the giant clam a vulnerable species, which means, given current conditions, the species may soon be endangered. Meanwhile, National Geographic notes, the species’ adductor muscle is considered a delicacy. The organization also points out, overharvesting for food, shell, and the aquarium trade have contributed to its vulnerable status.
According to the law, offenders could potentially face fines equivalent to five times the value of the species or between P500,000 and P5,000,000; along with imprisonment from 12 to 20 years, a fine equivalent to twice the administrative fine, forfeiture of the species, and cancellation of their fishing permit./DGB, WDJ