TUGUEGARAO CITY, Philippines- The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Region 2 (BFAR) is aiming to distribute some 1,856 units of fiber glass reinforced plastic boats this year.
This is under BFAR’s Fiber Glass (FB) Pagbabago livelihood and development program for “poor fishermen.” FB Pagbabago seeks to institutionalize fiber glass as a primary material in building boats.
BFAR’s Rodel Pasaraba said in Philippine Information Agency Region 02’s Tipon-Tipan that the process of involves fisherfolk in constructing their own boats under supervision of fiber glass experts.
Fiber glass was chosen as an alternative to wood.
Pasaraba added that, unlike wooden boats, the new FB boats are equipped with flotation chambers which can be turned into lifebuoys or salbabidas for fishermen in case of accidents at sea.
Pasaraba said the units will come with fishing tools such as fishing nets.
BFAR has designated fabrication areas in the region. 100 units are currently fabricated in Diffun, Quirino and Batanes, while 1000 units are fabricated in Santa Ana and Claveria in Cagayan.
Meanwhile, local government units were tasked to make a list of recipients consisting “marginal fisherfolk.” These will be later verified and validated by the agency’s fisheries livelihood development technologies.
BFAR RO2 Regional Director Doctor Milagros Morales said the agency hopes to distribute 200,000 fiber glass fishing boats nationwide.
The said project started last year and will run for five years, said Morales.
She said that fishermen will not have to worry while constructing their boats because they will be paid based on the minimum wage, similar to a cash forward program.
Morales said that beneficiaries will enter into a memorandum of agreement with BFAR, and LGUs. Under this MOA, recipients are obliged to maintain their boats and to not use the boats for illegal activities. Aside from this, they are required to submit fish catch report.
Last August, materials for nearly for 1000 units fishing boats were distributed in Cagayan.
A press release from the Provincial Information Office said that the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) expects around 2,807 families to be benefited by the program. Northernforum.net
