NAVOTAS – Sometimes dubbed as the fishing capital of the Philippines, Navotas is considered the biggest fish port in the country and the largest in Southeast Asia.
Fishing accounts for almost 70-80 percent of the aquatic needs of ordinary Filipinos. In Navotas, 70 percent of residents are dependent on fishing as their main source of livelihood.
Here, fish are unloaded daily and then processed and stored in different canning and storage facilities inside the mega complex, thanks also in large part to 15 storage facilities. Youngstown, Unipak and Akian Food Processing plant are among the many canned fish companies inside the fishport.
Navotas is also naturally blessed with 4.5 kms shoreline which makes it ideal as the transhipment of fish caught from other parts of the country.
The big fishing vessels or more than 44 meters high or exceeding three gross tonnage in weight bring fish to Navotas fishport for storage, or to be canned by the three major sardines factory locators inside the complex.
BAGSAKAN
“Dito ang bagsakan.” said the new NCR-Maritime Group head P/COL. Raynold Amisola Rosero.
Rosero is a native of Bicol and a bemedaled bomb expert. A policeman for over 28 years now, he cites his SAF training under then General Edgar Aglipay as his formative years in the police force.
“Five years ako sa SAF. Bale 23 years old ako nung naka-graduate ako ng PNPA. Then after that, first deployment ko sa Metro Manila noong nag-member ako ng anti-bank robbery way back 1996. Matindi ang holdapan ng bangko sa Metro Manila. Then after that, na-deploy na kami sa Negros Island against sa insurgency sa SAF.” And the rest is now history.
Rosero was already two years with the maritime command as head of administrative, research and development in Camp Crame prior to his posting in Navotas. He also served as head of the maritime region 7-8 in Samar-Leyte. Aside from being a bomb technician, he was also a graduate of computer engineering from the Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT), backgrounds that would serve him in good stead in his ongoing stint with the Maritime group.
FISH CATCH DURING PANDEMIC
Rosero said that the fishing industry was very much affected by the pandemic. “Bumagsak ang industry ng fishing dahil sa Covid-19, pero nakaka-recover na dahil nga sa archipelago tayo maraming fishing grounds.”
While he has been the head of the PNP NCR Maritime Group for only about three months so far, Rosero can now confidently say that based on his observation, the fishing industry is on its way to full recovery.
He reiterates that since his appointment last December, the volume of traded fish has dwindled because several processing, canning and storage plants have laid off several workers due to losses.
“Pero ngayon, medyo masigla na ulit dahil unti-unti na ulit bumabalik yun ibang negosyo, nag ha-hire na ulit sila ng tao at dahil sa fish season na ulit marami na uling babagsak na isda dito galing sa mga huli ng malalaking bangka.” Rosero pointed out.
He also explained that since December to February are cold months, it has also resulted in the decrease of the fish caught by the traditional fishermen.
Once the Covid-19 vaccination of the government will be in full swing, Rosero is bullish that the Navotas Fish Port will rebound in big way.
Summer, on the other hand, is more ideal for fishing season. Since March, The Philippine Fisheries Development Authority – Navotas Fish Port Complex (PFDA-NFPC) has recorded its highest unloading record of 5,533.76 metric tons (MT) of fish for consumers in the National Capital Region (NCR) and several areas in Central and South Luzon.
Now Rosero can also see workers in their jeans, white t-shirts and ‘bota’ entering the complex with face masks and face shields. That to him looks like a benchmark for the good first quarter of this year.
When restaurants are fully re-opened, more locators are expected to come in and will pave the way for a more busy complex.
BLASTING TECHNIQUE.
Rosero explained the strategic importance of the Navotas fish port to the protein needs of the Filipinos.
“May mga karagatan kasi na kulang ang huling isda so there is a scarcity of species, parang tamban, manggagaling pa ng Sorsogon or Calbayog sa Northern Samar, masyado mahal kung dagat to dagat. Ang gagawin nila, e sa mga refrigerated trucks ito ilalagay at ibibiyahe by land.” continued Col. Rosero.
He said that once it reaches the fish port, it will be classified for weather for export, local or canning purposes.
“Isang styro box yan ng frozen fish na, bago i-accept sa cannery, kukuha sila sa bungad, sa gitna at sa dulo, to maintain the standard of fish. Kapag na-reject, diretso yan sa mga local market. Masustansya sa omega oil ang tamban, kaya diretso na siya sa delata or sa kusina,” he jokingly said.
The ISO certified blasting technique makes the fish fresh even for a year.
HOARDING AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
The Philippines has a lot of traditional fishing grounds, some of the fishing vessels can be away for weeks but because of the pandemic and the territorial spat over the West Philippines Sea, the fish catch and the income of the fishermen has been adversely affected. The plight of the Filipino fishermen is always highlighted, especially when the Chinese military, militia and fishing boats prevents local fishermen from sailing and fishing within the disputed territorial waters.
Some fishing expedition lasts for more than a month without a proper catch, so this is remains an issue.
“May season na hindi pwedeng mag-overfishing. Since kalakasan na ng mga isda pag summertime, akala ng iba may hoarding ng isda. Meron lang talagang fishing grounds na kulang ang isda, so pinapayagan tayo ng government na mag import ng isda sa Taiwan or Thailand. At pwede ring tayong mag export depende sa supply natin ng isang variety or species ng isda.” Rosero further revealed.
The NCR Maritime Group is ready to protect the municipal waters from Navotas, Manila to Napindan channel in Taguig.
Rosero’s 300 men are divided into maritime group northern and southern commands, which oversee the protection of the shoreline and the coastal communities. While their motto is crime suppression and prevention, their mandate also includes environmental protection.
If given the responsibility, the NCR-MarGroup, under Rosero’s command is more than willing to implement their law enforcement role.
He said that they can help the inter-agency task force in the investigation regarding incidents in the West Philippine Sea, especially in Scarborough Shoal where the Chinese military has put an offshore base and killed marine life.
“Kung pwede kasuhan ang China ng DFA at DND, baka mga P2B worth damages na pwede silang pag-bayarin.” That is not, however, commensurate to the problem of dead corals and other marine life which has a long lasting impact for the next generation.
To help defend the West Philippine Sea and to protect the natural resources within the territorial waters, Rosero said they welcome their inclusion in the task force to impose the laws, and if deputized (by DFA/DOJ/DENR and TFOWPS) will file proper complaints against the Chinese government on their encroachment and wanton disregard of our environmental laws.
What’s happening now in the open seas is just a microcosm of coastal barangays.
The Philippine National Police Maritime Group (PNP-MG) is a National Operational Support Unit (NOSU) of the PNP mandated to perform all police functions, ensure public safety and internal security over Philippine territorial waters, rivers and coastal areas to include ports and harbors and sustain the protection of the maritime environment.
“Suppression and prevention of crime sa loob ng fish port, nakawan ng banyera, mga bata ‘yung magnanakaw, kakalawitin, hindi naman mailalabas yan kasi may tatak ang mga banyera pero isasalin nila sa ibang banyera. Me drugs pa din, mga bangkero pa ‘yung iba minsan, kasi galing sila as far as Palawan. Malayo ang biyahe. Hindi natin ma prevent 100 percent.” He said.
To him, the Navotas fish port is also a source of life itself. Even though the government has relocated informal settlers, they keep coming back because this is the place they consider as home, where they feel they belong and where they can get jobs in and outside of the port.
“Marunong mag-hanapbuhay, ‘ika nga we taught them how to fish.” Rosero concluded after spending his 48th birthday protecting the shoreline and the environment within the NCR-Maritime Group’s areas of jurisdiction.