The Iloilo Provincial Government is engaging the Provincial Bantay Dagat Task Force to combat illegal drug activities within the coastal areas of the province.
Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. said he presented the idea to Police Regional Office VI Director Jack Wanky to extend the monitoring and surveillance capabilities of the Bantay Dagat to not just focus on illegal fishing activities but also illegal trade along the maritime areas of Northern Iloilo and Southern Iloilo.
“We will engage the Bantay Dagat, together with our Philippine National Police, in monitoring the activities along our coastal waters,” the governor told the media during his regular press conference on March 20, 2024.
The Bantay Dagat has been instrumental in preventing the proliferation of illegal fishing activities, particularly hulbot-hulbot (Danish Seine fishing) and dynamite fishing.
The governor said they can also mobilize the maritime patrol in safeguarding the coastal communities which often serve as gateways for drug-smuggling activities.
“The Bantay Dagat does not only mean illegal fishing but the overall management of the Visayan Sea and its environment, together with the illegal activities there,” he added.
Defensor said the same direction is also being pushed by the Northern Iloilo Alliance for Development (NIAD) which is composed of the municipalities in the fifth district.
The governor said there is also a need to tap the barangay officials in the fight against narcotics. (Capitol News)
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