Surigao City Mayor Pablo Yves Dumlao III recently accused the Surigao City Federation of Fish Buyers-Brokers Association (SUCFIBBA) of manipulating local fish prices. Dumlao claimed that the group had established a monopoly over the sale, distribution, and pricing of fish in the city and controlled supplies coming in at the fish landing as well as the majority of fish stalls at the market. He added that SUCFIBBA cheated the city government of taxes and revenues by under-declaring their gross revenues and the value of their fish cars. SUCFIBBA, however, denied the allegations in an 11-point statement read by its president, Engr. Ambrosio Lambus Jr. They claimed that their system is open trading or open dispatching and that they do not control the fish landing or own so many market stalls or fishing boats. They further mentioned that the high prices of fish in the city result from the economics of demand and supply, inflation, and the changing weather conditions.
However, the mayor was not convinced and urged fishermen to bring their supplies straight to the market, bypassing the fish brokers, and ignore their loans, as the group has no legal permit or authority to engage in “financing.” His bold move caused SUCFIBBA to call an emergency meeting of its members and hold its own press conference; but the city engineering group had already deployed city trucks and other equipment at the fish landing and market sites supposedly to prevent the association’s vehicles and fish cars from using the road as their personal parking area or “garage.” Still, the city awaits a solution to the crisis that would result in more fair and liberalized commerce in the fish landing area.
