Sport of Fishing Rising in Popularity in the Philippines

If you happen to be in the Philippines in the next little while, expect to see a lot more people fishing.  And I mean a lot.  But if you think they’re out there for the sport of it, you’re way, way off.


The boon in fishing’s popularity in the Philippines has nothing to do with fish, and everything to do with hard drugs.


Make sense?  It will after you read this.


No, these guys are not dropping acid before heading out to sea, or taking a hit of ecstasy to enhance a guys fishing weekend–they’re heading out in droves looking for cocaine bricks.


Wait…what?


Apparently drifting bricks of cocaine are being found by fisherman floating in the seas near some Philippine villages.  It’s gotten so bad that many farmers and other workers have given up their regular jobs in order to go fishing for coke.


When the lucky anglers snag one of these bricks, they turn around and sell it, in order to supplement their income.  You know, free enterprise and all that.  And from the sounds of it, business is booming.


Of course, the government has to go and ruin everything.  The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has gotten involved, and are patrolling the seas looking for the same illegal drugs that the poor fisherman are.  So far the PDEA has gotten their grubby hands on 157 bricks of cocaine from various Philippine towns.  The coke is believed to have been dropped off ships en route to a secret pirate island, a.k.a.  Hong Kong.


Me, I’m rooting for the Philippine fisherman.  Hey, finders keepers, losers weepers–right?  Besides, is it really illegal to sell cocaine in the Philippines?  Oh, it is?  Still, I’m sure a little coke here and there isn’t addictive or potentially harmful.  Just ask celebrity cocaine endorsers John Belushi, Ken Caminiti, River Phoenix or Chris Farley. [Inquirer]