DOLE warns vs risky 'paaling' fishing

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has warned fishermen against the risky and life-threatening type of fishing called "paaling." Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz made the call after extending a P914,000 assistance package to 38 fishermen who have become victims of paaling fishing. The assistance includes motorized boats for the 38 fishermen. In this type of fishing, young divers use hoses to form a virtual bubble curtain in the sea, forcing fish into the nets of fishermen. A typical paaling operation involves four boats, with about 25 divers each. Paaling has replaced "muro ami" fishing which involves children diving to dangerous depths to pound the broken corals with rocks or pipes to scare fish and force them into a large waiting net. Assistance for fishermen Investigation showed that 38 persons allegedly fell victim to a fishing company. Baldoz also ordered an investigation into the plight of 250 workers who allegedly did not receive their salaries and benefits from the fishing company during a 10-month fishing voyage near international waters off Palawan. “Our DOLE-Regional Office in Cebu has proposed the provision of a package of assistance initially for 38 of the 250 workers who have filed complaints with the DOLE’s Negros Oriental Field Office in Dumaguete City," Baldoz said in a news release posted on the DOLE website. Baldoz said she instructed the regional office to speed up the proposal for the package of assistance "so we can release the money." She said the assistance will be funded by Integrated Services Livelihood Assistance (ISLA), a project for marginal fisherfolk in fishing communities, under the DOLE’s Integrated Livelihood Assistance Program (DILP). “An added-value to the project is also empowering the fishermen to help in monitoring activities occurring in their municipal waters which will boost their morale to act more responsibly in their own best interest to manage coastal and fishery resources in sustainable ways," Baldoz said. - VVP, GMA News