Tragic and gory end … The 300kg
Leatherback turtle falls into the cruel hands of barangay officials and
villagers who do not know their law. -- From ROMEO MACABANGKIT’S VIDEO GRAB.
By JUAN ESCANDOR JR
NAGA CITY:A leatherback sea turtle, about 300kg and requires several
men to carry, was butchered by villagers in a 19-minute video the Bicol Mail
obtained recently.
Romeo Macabangkit, a resident of Barangay Magtang in Tinambac town who
took the video with his cellular phone, claimed the leatherback turtle,
classified critically endangered species, was snared in a fishnet on Oct 18 and
butchered on the same day.
Macabangkit, a former member of the village council in Barangay Magtang
and at present running for the same position in the Barangay Elections, accused
three local officials in Tinambac town for condoning the illegal act of
butchering a critically endangered species.
He said the meat, which was placed in three Styrofoam boxes, was
distributed among the villagers who cooked their shares for viand and pulutan.
Under the jurisdiction of the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR), Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Arnel
Rodriguez said their office will act on the video upon filing of written
complaint by anyone with direct knowledge about the illegal act.
Rodriguez, a lawyer, said sworn statements are required to validate and
start an investigation to identify the perpetrators before a case could be
filed in court.
He said the species must be categorized whether it is an endangered or
critically endangered which has stiffer penalty.
Rodriguez said for critically endangered species that are butchered,
the perpetrators face a penalty of 6 years and one day to 12 years imprisonment
and fine that runs to hundreds of thousand of pesos. – Bicol Mail
Even without that law, can't people respect the long,free life that Mother Nature allowed this creature?
ReplyDeleteCan someone allow their elderly to be hurt by others?