Davao City - THE governments of Northern Sulawesi in Indonesia and Southern Mindanao have continued to come up with measures to resolve problems on illegal fishing, particularly along the sea border shared by them.
Shelley Sondakh, executive secretary of the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia Philippines East Asean Growth Area Secretariat, on Wednesday said the problem of illegal fishing is still under discussion in the ongoing talks in Davao City among trade and tourism stakeholders from North Sulawesi and Southern Mindanao.
"Nothing definite has come out of it yet," Sondakh said.
Sondakh said the two countries are keen on resolving the problem as it may escalate further into a dispute between the two countries if left unresolved at the soonest possible time.
"The negotiation is to find a win-win solution for both countries," Sondakh said.
The executive secretary, who headed the Indonesian delegation here in Davao City upon the invitation of the Indonesian Consul General Lalu Malik Partawana, also said that tracing back the relationship of the Philippines and Indonesia would reveal a harmonious relationship of sharing the bountiful resources at the sea border located between Nothern Sulawesi and Southern Mindanao.
"There was no problem back then, so why should there be a problem now?" Sondakh said.
Sondakh stressed that it is very important for the negotiations made by the two countries to strike a balance that will be beneficial for both.
Source: www.sunstar.com - Carlo P. Mallo (15 Mei 2008)
