MAC SPONSORS CONGRESSIONAL BAN ON NON MEMBERS

[clarionreef]

This just in;

It is my dubious pleasure to inform you of MACs current and active efforts to have the Philippine congress ban the issuance of export permits to all who do not join them.

Thats right....they are attempting to win in the Philippine political arena that which they failed to win in the trade thru their own efforts....

Forcing themselves on all who shun them is now the primary strategy in the Philippines, as their fieldwork and their ability to connect with divers, dealers and exporters had won them few followers....and less respect.
They will deny this until exposed...AND ASKED DIRECTLY...but soon all will know.

A stalwart in the Manila exporters association has already resigned over it and there will be more to follow as the true colors are shown and their desperate, calculating and manipulative character is revealed .
Steve

 

[clarionreef]

I just asked about this of my favorite shipper in Manila.
He writes;

" Those who are certified just play with the music. But they don't believe
the MAC's way. MAC is trying to convince the Congress their way and if they
have it passed, may be, only MAC certified will only be allowed to do LTF
exporting business. But it will be a milestone to achieve that. That's all I
know, not too much interested on MAC"

Goodness me,
Not the glowing reports we get in the quarterly reports now is it?
Steve

 

[PeterIMA]

Last year, I heard the MAC was trying to impose mandatory MAC Certification in Fiji. Has anyone heard anything more about this?

Peter Rubec

 

[Anonymous]

shouldn't someone complain to our congress about MAC trying to enforce a trade monopoly?

 

[Jaime Baquero]

The status quo is not an option in the Philippines. MAC has credibility before the Philippine's Congress.

 

[clarionreef]

The status quo has been perpetuated by MAC for years in the Philippines.
Spending years for training no one and producing no fish has hardly changed the status quo now has it?

Now, as they are losing their credibility due to their own lack of productivity....they are willing to burn it all down and jump to still another ship it would appear.

Sustainable practice has little to do with environmental malpractice.
MAC has done a huge disservice to all and especially to the fisherfolk and the villagers they never helped due to their misrepresentation of ability on the issues of concern.
They have had carte blanche and spent millions to achieve nothing. The disgrace is theirs...
The move to ban their enemies [" ie. nearly all stakeholders"] is bitter, calculating revenge.
S

 

[Anonymous]

Wouldn't PI Congress consult BFAR prior to voting such legislation in place?

 

[Jaime Baquero]

What MAC has been trying to do since they got involved is to find the ways to work with the industry in countries such as the Philippines to improve the conditions of the trade of marine ornamentals. The main goals are to contribute to maintain healthier reefs for future generations, and better quality fish meaning lower mortality rates. Exporters in the Philippines that do not want to contribute to achieve those goals do not merit a license to exploit those natural resources. In other words they are going to learn the hard way.

What would happen in the states if someone doesn't comply with regulations
regarding the exploitation of a natural resource?

 

[tinyreef]

What would happen in the states if someone doesn't comply with regulations regarding the exploitation of a natural resource?

such regulation isn't typically in the hands of a ngo. there are certain circumstances which that exists but those are still gov't sanctioned. e.g. major league baseball

being a layman, my interpretation may be wrong (the view from the peanut gallery isn't perfect) but it appears to me that the main concern/complaint with MAC is that they are trying to enjoy both private & public sectors.

they want to impose certain policies and regulations but are they a gov't agency allowed to legislate in such a way? e.g. EPA or FCC but at the same time they still want autonomy to fund-raise their way and self-administer? e.g. MLB

imo they should pick one side of the fence to stand on and then do the job they were originally supposed to accomplish. trying to stand on both sides of the fence gets a pole...well, gets them unwanted criticism even if they're honestly and earnestly trying to do their job. jmo

 

[Jaime Baquero]

The Filipino government has not taken any responsibility since the cyanide problem was detected in that country (80's), unfortunatelly, that same government has been relying on the work of foreign and local NGO's to find solutions to the problem. Previous and isolated efforts by other NGOs to tackle the problem didn't provide the expected results because of the lack of support of the Filipino government and the industry as a whole.

Solutions to the cyanide collection, handling and holding and mortality rates can be solved only with the participation of all players. Lack of regulation from the central government along with poverty and corruption are aspects that make very difficult the certification program in the Philippines..


Personally, I do not think that MAC wants to impose policies and regulations, seems to me that what they want is to develop a certification program providing with the tools to all stakeholders to make of this trade a more sustainable activity.

 

[Jaime Baquero]

Would the US government rely on NGOs to regulate the trade of marine ornamentals ?

 

[Anonymous]

how can a private org regulate a gov't (trade) issue ?

 

[clarionreef]

Solutions to the cyanide collection, handling and holding and mortality rates can be solved only with the participation of all players..???

Hardly!
There are a number of regions in the Philippines where the divers all use nets....and no thanks to ECO-INC.N'GOS.
A strong local mayor ...like the one in Bolinao, Pangasinan can do wonders for the good guys and far more it appears then million dollar outsiders and central governments.
Their cost - benefit ration is something like 100-1 compared to MAC.

Steve

 

[Jaime Baquero]

how can a private org regulate a gov't (trade) issue ?

I do not think MAC is the one regulating, it is the filipino agency BFAR the one that will advice Congress about how to handle the situation, meaning regulate.

 

[Jaime Baquero]

Solutions to the cyanide collection, handling and holding and mortality rates can be solved only with the participation of all players..???

Hardly!
There are a number of regions in the Philippines where the divers all use nets....and no thanks to ECO-INC.N'GOS.
A strong local mayor ...like the one in Bolinao, Pangasinan can do wonders for the good guys and far more it appears then million dollar outsiders and central governments.
Their cost - benefit ration is something like 100-1 compared to MAC.

Steve

So, what the Philippines needs is more of those "strong local majors". Do you mean that the problems of fisherfolks in those regions are solved because all use nets?

 

[dizzy]

I think it was all predicted in here: http://www.gefweb.org/Documents/Work_Pr ... cument.pdf

 

[Anonymous]

What the MAC wants to do is fatten their wallets, by forcing EVERYONE to pay a tribute toTHEM for the right and privledge to catch or transport or buy or sell or raise or propagate salt water fish, corals and invertabrates for the salt water hobby. It doesn't give a "Rat's ......." about the reefs, the eco system, the fisher folk, the fish, the coral, the invertabrates or the gov'ment of any country. IF they did, we wouldn't be having this discussion, now would we?

Seems to this hobbiest that the MAC has had more than ample time and money to get the job done.

 

[Jaime Baquero]

how can a private org regulate a gov't (trade) issue ?

Government's leadership in the Philippines has been nil to tackle the cyanide problem. The certification program being implemented by MAC is the only tool the filipino government has to regulate the trade of marine ornamentals.
Exporters in PI need to support it, otherwise they'll be out of business. Most of the exporters in the Philippines have neglected the coral reefs, the fish and the fish collectors for decades. Don't you think is time to stop it?

 

[clarionreef]

Jaime writes;
"Do you mean that the problems of fisherfolks in those regions are solved because all use nets?"

The most serious problem that we are held acountable for disappears as the poisoning stops.
Other problems that flow in general in course of the living of life are not all magically solved....nor the problems of world hunger and inequity. I was not aware that those all fell within in the scope and capability of our trade per se.
This trade can be a benefit instead of a detriment but that cannot even be taken seriously until our subsidy of killing of old coral habitat stops.

Steve

 

[clarionreef]

Seems to this hobbiest that the MAC has had more than ample time and money to get the job done... Knowse is dead on here.
Never has so much money been spent, so many thousands of man hours been wasted, so much good will been squandered, so much of the issues been politicized and so much attention been brought to bear to not convince 30 divers or so.
The juxtaposition of 7 years of "work" and an equal amount of millions of dollars next to this shocking fact ...is ...is....I'm speechless....well, shocking.
There are no fish flowing after this white elephant of...this mastodon of effort....no this wolly mammoth of effort.
There needs to be a serious field audit, some keen investigative reporting and taped interviews with 100 fisherman who endured these non events that we heard so much of in the quarterly reports.

Its not the need of the fisherman and the reefs that we are discussing....its the people who took the money to do a job...and they didn't do it....Its like 30 trips to the store and the the kid didn't bring home the milk....or the money.
In real life, he'd have to give the money back.
Steve
.
30 trips to the store and he still didn't bring home the milk....