Illegal fishing in the country's richest fishing grounds, the Burias Pass-Acid Gulf water area near Masbate province, is a source of funds not only of big-time commercial fishers but also politicians, Chief Supt. Victor Deona, Philippine National Police Bicol regional director, said Monday.

Deona, who is set to be promoted and transferred to Camp Crame in Quezon City in the coming days for a higher post, said happy days were expected to come again for big-time commercial fishers, who are in cohort with persons in the corridors of power, as they would operate again in full swing to rape the seas in the region, specifically in Masbate province.

"I'm about to leave this command anytime even before the payola accusation cropped up and I'm sure those who have been hit by our stringent measures against illegal fishing operations will be very happy and will be back again if similar crusade will not continue," he said.

The Bicol top cop admitted that he had been receiving calls from local politicians demanding a stop to the apprehension of commercial fishing vessels in the waters of Masbate and some even try, but failed, to bribe him.

"I voluntarily submitted myself to Napolcom investigation in front of Bishop Bong Baylon and Rep. Leni Robredo as chairperson of the Regional Advisory Council to ferret out the truth regarding the reported bribery," he said.

Deona has been accused in the social media of being at the top in the list of officials receiving payola money from illegal fishing operators.

"We want an honest-to-goodness leadership here. Let us be transparent. So, I asked Napolcom Director Rodolfo Santos Jr. for them to include media practitioners as part of the investigating body so that there will be no cover-up," the top Bicol police official added.

Santos, National Police Commission Bicol regional director, immediately formed a special investigating body to go through the reported illegal fishing payola payoffs given to Deona and Supt. Oscar Regala, PNP Bicol intelligence officer (R2).

Both Deona and Regala have been tagged as "berdugo" (executioners) by commercial fisher operators in the waters of Bicol, specifically in Masbate province, for showing iron hands against illegal fishing operations within the municipal waters that destroy marine habitats, thus, badly affecting marginalized fishermen across the region.

Deona, who is known as a man of few words but with iron hands, was formerly the provincial director in Masbate and headed the Special Task Force Masbate (STFM) in previous elections.
Masbate then was tagged as the wild, wild west in the country due to high prevalence of election-related crimes and he was considered by powerful personalities here as "skewer" of illegal but lucrative businesses there.

During his term as STFM head in 2010, he was able to compel warring political clan and powerful local politicians such as then congressman Antonio Kho, former representative Narciso "Bong" Bravo, and suspended Gov. Diana Llanete to surrender their loose firearms.

A cache of loose high-powered firearms were surrendered by powerful politicians of Masbate.
Santos lauded Deona's remarkable accomplishment in Bicol for his fearless campaign against illegal fishing, illegal drug, illegal logging, illegal numbers game, loose firearms and many others, despite lack of sophisticated equipment.

Earlier, Rep. Fernando Gonzalez (Albay, 3rd District) commended Deona for his honesty and strong will in fighting against powerful illegal fishing operators in Bicol, specifically in the Burias Pass and Albay West Coast area, covering Albay and Masbate, now being sought to be declared as seascape to protect the biodiversity there.

Aside from Gonzales, Robredo of (Camarines Sur, 3rd District) and Baylon of the Diocese of Legazpi also lauded Deona's fearless drive against illegal fishing activities in the Bicol Region