SP backs MOA with BFAR for fishing gears

THE 19th City Council during its regular session Monday presided over by Vice Mayor Raineir Joaquin V. Uy enacted an ordinance authorizing the City Mayor to enter into and sign the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-10 (BFAR-10) covering the provision of 69 units Bottom Set Gill Net (BSGN) fishing gears.

This is pursuant to BFAR’s mandated function to provide fishery livelihood projects with the aim of providing support to marginal fisherfolk in the exercise of their preferential rights to benefit from the country’s fisheries resources, especially in municipal waters.

The city is likewise mandated to provide its constituents with extension facilities related to agriculture and fishery activities which include water and soil resource utilization and conservation projects and enforcement of fishery laws in municipal waters.

This is also part of the parties’ ongoing collaboration in providing fishery livelihood development projects like fishing gears/paraphernalia in line with the fisheries poverty reduction framework in the Target Program of BFAR.

Under the MOA, the BFAR shall provide 69 sets of Bottom Set Gill (BSGN) to target beneficiaries, coordinate with the city on the setting of schedule related to the awarding, distribution, monitoring and evaluation of fishing gears to the beneficiaries.

It shall also provide BFAR-Central Office with the validated list of beneficiaries submitted by the city, facilitate the documentary requirements needed during the awarding and distribution of fishing gears to the fisherfolk beneficiaries, among others.

For its part, the city shall identify/recommend qualified and registered fisherfolk beneficiaries, provide logistic support to the fisherfolk beneficiaries during awarding and distribution of fishing gears, facilitate the registration and/or licensing of fishing gears distributed to the fisherfolk beneficiaries, among others.

The ordinance was reviewed and endorsed by the committees on fisheries and on laws and rules respectively chaired by Councilors Zaldy O. Ocon and Ian Mark Q. Nacaya.