The Department of Agriculture through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has already distributed 15,000 units of fiberglass fishing boats to poor fishermen all over the country as part of the FB Pagbabago program started by the administration of President Rody Duterte in 2017.
Under the program, the DA-BFAR identifies poor fishermen, including victims of calamities, and provides one fishing boat to every two families, a strategy which was designed to prevent the recipients from selling the boats.
This program is in response to the requests from poor fishermen all over the country for sturdy fishing boats they could use for fishing in the municipal waters.
The boats are fabricated by the fishermen themselves and they are paid for their labor.
Each boat is equipped with an engine, fish nets and fishing gears, including life vests.
The counterpart of the fisherman is the outrigger or “katig” which could be made out of bamboo poles.
Here is the breakdown of the fiberglass boats distributed:
– 2016 – 3,724 units
– 2017: 7,494 units
– 2018: 3,693 units
– Jan-Mar 2019 – 65 units
The 12 units given by DA-BFAR to the 22 crew members of F/B GEM-VER 1 which figured in a maritime incident in the Recto Bank June 10 came from BFAR Regional Office in Mindoro Occidental under Director Elizer Salilig.
I am sharing these photos to show to the critics of this administration that the fishing boats from DA-BFAR given to the F/B GEM-VER crew were part of a national program existing since 2016.
Ito po ang aming sagot at paliwanag duon sa mga kritiko na nagsasabing hindi daw lumulutang at gumagana ang mga bangka na ibinigay namin sa mga F/B GEM-VER crew.
Ito po ay designed for municipal waters only at hindi pang deep sea fishing, para po doon sa mga nagsasabing katangahan daw ang programang ito.
Ang una pong nakatanggap nito ay mga mangingisdang Badjao sa Davao na sa kaunaunahang pagkakataon ay nakatanggap ng tulong mula sa gobyerno.
(Photos show Badjao fishermen rejoicing after receiving their fiberglass fishing boats and President Duterte viewing the F/B Pagbabago fiberglass boats given to Sama and Badjao fishermen in Basilan Province in October 2016.)
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