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The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) recently discovered that Taiwanese fishermen practically turned Amianan Island in Batanes into a garbage dump.
In a report by Evelyn Macairan in The Philippine Star, it was indicated that the PCG “found one-fourth of a ton of garbage left behind by Taiwanese fishermen in the island.” The discarded items included cooking utensils.
PCG Commander Angel Viliran — the commanding officer of the monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) vessel 3004 that reached Amianan, the country’s northernmost island closest to Taiwan which can only reached by a five-hour boat ride from the Batanes mainland — said, “We discovered the garbage at Amianan Island while we were conducting an inspection in the area last June 10. We saw garbage that appeared to have come from Taiwanese (fishermen). There were cooking pans, clothing, cigarettes from Taiwan.”
Some fishermen who accompanied the PCG to the island, the garbage heap had accumulated over the years.
Viliran added, “Some of the trash might have already been washed away by previous storms.”
The report noted: “Fishermen, both Taiwanese and Filipinos, take shelter in Amianan Island whenever there is bad weather.”
Viliran pointed out that “the Taiwanese may legitimately take shelter in the island during bad weather but cannot fish around its waters after the storm is over.” He added that “fishermen, whether Taiwanese or Filipino, taking refuge in the island should not leave their trash behind.”
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