BFAR assures fish from Taal Lake safe to eat despite claims of sabungeros' bodies dumped in water
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources assured that the fish caught in Taal Lake are safe to eat. This comes amid claims that the water had been contaminated after the bodies of the missing sabungeros abducted in 2021 were dumped into the lake.
In an interview with DZMM Teleradyo, BFAR chief information officer Nazario Briguera eased public concern that the quality of tawilis in the lake had been compromised following a whistleblower’s claim about what happened to the bodies of the sabungeros.
"Ang tawilis po ay isang uri ng isla na kung tawagin ay small pelagic. Ano ang ibig sabihin nito? Pag small pelagic po, ang kinakain po niyan ay planktons, mga plant-like planktons or microalgae na nandyan po sa tubig," Briguera explained.
"Ang karakteristik po nitong tawilis, nasa upper layer po yan ng tubig, so hindi po pwede natin na i-connect doon sa issue na baka yung tawilis ay kinain yung sinasabing katawan ng mga nawawalang sabungero," he added.
When asked what the planktons eat, he said that they create their own food through photosynthesis.
Moreover, Briguera said that Taal Lake is deep, and the bodies of the missing individuals would have already been dissipated as they settled in the water's depths should the rumors be proven true.
" Walang dapat ipangamba tungkol dito sa tawilis," he stressed.
This also applies to other fish species in the area, such as maliputo.
"Pelagic species rin po ang maliputo. They prey on smaller fish din po, yung maliputo. Ang lumalabas din po diyan is yung bangus daw at tilapia parang may public fear na. Ang Taal po ay isang major fish farming area at ang mga bangus at tilapia ay nasa confined environment po yan," Briguera said.
Fear regarding the safety of Taal Lake's fish emerged after a key development in the disappearance of 34 cockfighters. One of the accused individuals broke his silence, detailing new information about their abduction and alleging that their bodies had been buried beneath the lake.
In an interview, Laurel Mayor Lyndon Bruce said that fish sales in his town have significantly dropped. Laurel is one of the towns around Taal Lake, and many residents depend on the lake for their income.
“Ang news lagi pinag-uusapan 'yun mga sabungero daw na itinapon dito, syempre ang isip ng tao nagne-negative kaya nga siguro nag-aatubili silang bumili ng isda,” Bruce said.
