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LEGAZPI CITY, Albay: Local officials backed by officials from the
Health department and the Bureau of Fish and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)
lead what was dubbed as Karakanan ng Isada (fish-eating) in an
effort to ease the fish scare in the Bicol region following the
sinking of MV Princess of the Stars that killed hundreds of
passengers during Typhoon Frank.
Gov. Joey Sarte Salceda of Albay and Mayor Noel
Rosal of Legazpi City gave special attention to its fish-eating
occasion on Monday, held in front of the city public market and was
attended by prominent personalities, the LGU’s, and barangay
officials, to prove there was nothing to fear in eating fish.
Fish vendors and traders have cried in pain over
the fish scare and sought local officials help lamenting that only
between 15 percent to 20 percent of fish supply in the market were
being sold. The fish scare is now running to three weeks.
The fish-eating event was provided with various
kinds of cooked, fried and grilled fish, including big ones such as
shark, malasugi, tuna, and barracuda, to the smallest ones like the
bolinao.
The fish scare rocked Bicol region after reports
came out that more than 60 cadavers identified as passengers of
capsized MV Princess of the Stars, were found at the coastal areas
of Burias Island in Masbate and in some parts of Camarines Sur.
A report said the fish scare have greatly
affected fish supply in parts of Quezon province near the Camarines
Sur area.
Gov. Salceda allayed fears that fish in Bicol
coasts are contaminated by human flesh saying Albay is too far from
the coastal sites where bodies were found.
Mayor Noel Rosal of Legazpi City said people
should take this opportunity of patronizing local fish while it is
cheaper and abundant because of the false scare.
This was seconded by Salceda who said that
because of the cheaper cost of fish in the market, he took advantage
in buying more stocks, saying his daily meals is not complete
without fish.
He jokingly said that because of the abundant
supply of fish in his home, he offered his relatives of the supply
thinking they wont grab it. As a result he has to order more, he
said.
Health regional director Dr. Nestor Santiago and
Director Dennis del Socorro of the BFAR certified that fish in Bicol
are not contaminated by showing their faces in public, eating cooked
fish in Albay, provided by local fish traders and fishermen.
-- Manny T. Ugalde
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