iwas muna sa tilapia at bangus......
mahirap na.

gulay at steaks muna tayo.



Bangus makeover: Buyers beware | The Philippine Star » News » News Feature


DAGUPAN CITY, Philippines – Milkfish (bangus) harvested from fish kills in Anda and Bolinao and being sold in wet markets here have none of the tell-tale signs of creeping decay, thanks to a near perfect makeover.

Unscrupulous vendors have been found to have painstakingly applied red dye on the gills of the bangus to conceal signs of spoilage and dupe unsuspecting consumers.

But trained personnel from the City Agriculturist Office, acting undercover, discovered the ruse and alerted police who seized the spoiled goods at the Magsaysay Fish Market, the hub of fish trading in Pangasinan.

City agriculturist Emma Molina told The STAR yesterday it was the first time they encountered such anomaly.

She said the dye slowly faded when rinsed with water.

Another vendor was found to have removed the eyes of deboned bangus. Bangus collected from the fish kills have sunken red eyes.

Authorities confiscated three containers of deboned eyeless bangus. No arrests were reported, but authorities said the “makeover” was a violation of the Sanitation Code.

Two tons of decaying bangus earlier seized here were buried at the city’s dumpsite Wednesday. Nine to 10 tons of bangus from Anda and Bolinao have been barred from being traded here since Monday, according to Molina.

Checkpoints

Pangasinan police chief Senior Superintendent Rosueto Ricaforte has ordered his men to make sure that fish kill deliveries are stopped.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) is coordinating with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in its operation.

Last Wednesday, Alaminos City police intercepted an elf truck loaded with around 40 containers of bangus from the fish kill areas.

Molina said every town or city must issue an auxiliary invoice through its municipal agriculturist or anyone designated by the mayor for fish that come from its area and set for trading elsewhere. The Provincial Agriculture Office said in a report dated May 31 that losses to fish kill reached P15.6 million in Bolinao and P25.11 million in Anda.

The fish kill last Sunday was blamed on low oxygen brought about by an abrupt change of temperature due to heavy rains triggered by typhoon “Chedeng.” Dr. Westly Rosario, BFAR center chief in Dagupan City, told The STAR that based on their updated water sampling on June 1, there was significant improvement in seawater condition in barangays Catubig and Awag in Anda towns as well as in barangays Culang and Siapar in Bolinao.

“The remaining stocks are now safe,” he added.

Dagupan City Councilor Jesus Canto said eating affected fish can cause abdominal cramps, itchiness around the mouth and tongue, vomiting, diarrhea and fever.

Prevention

Meanwhile, the government wants local authorities to begin clearing up illegal fish cages around Taal lake to prevent another fish kill.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a press briefing at Malacañang that the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is preparing to issue instructions to the PNP in Batangas province to begin dismantling illegal fish pens put up in Taal lake based on an assessment report from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

The DILG order is in line with an order from the Protected Management Area Bureau in 2009 recommending the lowering of the number of fish pens to 6,000 from an initial high of 14,000.

“Unfortunately, some followed while some disregarded the order and so, as a result, we have this recent phenomenon of fish kill,” Lacierda said.

“(So) today DILG Secretary (Jesse) Robredo will order the Batangas PD (police department) to dismantle illegal fish cages in the municipalities surrounding Taal lake,” he added.

Lacierda said the Department of Agriculture would provide 50 water pumps to help Taal lake produce oxygen. Lacierda disclosed the PNP would also put up checkpoints within the province to prevent the transport of the “double-dead” fish.

“The PNP will be putting up checkpoints in those towns surrounding Taal lake to prevent the double dead fish from penetrating the wet market,” Lacierda said. Some 375 tons of bangus turned up dead in Taal lake last week due to lack of oxygen in the water. With Dino Balabo, Aurea Calica, Cesar Ramirez