Kiamba, Sarangani – Here is a story which would emphasise why it is important for ranking government officials to take time out from their air-conditioned offices and visit the countryside.
A P20-M fishport in the Tuna-rich town of Kiamba, Sarangani facing the Celebes Sea would have been another White Elephant had I not visited the coastal town on Friday along with Senator Manny Pacquiao and Governor Steve Solon.
Kiamba town Mayor Danny Martinez, who brought me to the fish port which is a project of the Philippine Fishports Development Authority (PFDA), pointed out a very simple overlook in the construction of the facility – a 100-meter breakwater.
Since the fish port faces open sea, the waves are huge that it would be impossible for fishermen in small fishing boats to bring their catch to the facility.
“The fishermen complained to me that they could not possibly dock here to unload their catch because the big waves will smash their small boats against the wall,” Mayor Martinez, who was my classmate in college, told me.
PFDA General Manager Glen Pangapalan informed me that his agency does not have an allocation for a parallel breakwater which needs to be constructed about 50 meters away from the fish port to stop the big waves from smashing on shore.
Without the breakwater, the fish port would be another white elephant that would just sit beside the shore while the fishermen will land their catch in some makeshift wharves in a cove somewhere.
After checking available funds in the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, I ordered the realignment of P20-M so the 100-meter breakwater could be constructed by the second quarter of this year and the fish port could be utilised before the end of the year.
I also directed BFAR National Director Undersecretary Eduardo Gongona to earmark funds in the 2019 Budget for the establishment of an ice plant and cold storage in the town.
Kiamba is one of the richest Tuna fishing grounds in the country and local fishermen supply the canneries in General Santos City with a huge volume.
Also on Friday, Kiamba’s fishermen received 25 units of fiberglass fishing boats and ‘payaos’ or Fish Aggregating Device.
The town’s farmers also received a commitment of a P10-M loaning facility under the Production Loan Easy Access Program of the Agricultural Credit Policy Council.
Abaca farmers also received a commitment of P5.5-M in PLEA loan funds for their 500-hectare expansion in the town.
Rice and corn farmers were also urged to organise themselves into a service providers’ group so they could apply for a loan to acquire farm machineries and equipment, including a modern grains complex complete with mechanical dryers.
(Photos by Alan Jay Jacalan, DA-AFID Biyaheng Bukid)
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