BFAR is not giving enough boats to West Philippine Sea fisherfolks – solon

In this photo taken on May 16, 2024, Philippine fishermen aboard their wooden boat catch fish in South China Sea. (File photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)

MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker is calling for a congressional probe into the alleged “shortcomings” of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in providing adequate number of boats for fisherfolks in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

House Assistant Majority Leader and Zambales 1st District Rep. Jay Khonghun made the call.

He revealed that there were “numerous complaints from the fishing community about the disparity between the assistance provided by BFAR and their actual needs for sustaining their livelihood.”

“It is crucial that we address the inadequacies in the support provided to our fishermen,” Khonghun said.

“The fishermen in the WPS deserve the best resources to sustain their livelihoods and uphold our national interests in these contested waters,” he noted.

He added there is also a need to scrutinize and potentially realign the BFAR budget as Congress prepares to deliberate on the upcoming 2025 National Expenditure Program.

According to the lawmaker, P660 million was allocated by the agency for the purchase of 66 units of 62-footer fishing vessels, which would supposedly help the fishermen.

Citing BFAR, he said 10 of these large fishing boats are to be distributed to fishing cooperatives operating in the WPS.

“We need to examine BFAR’s budget closely to ensure it matches the fishermen’s needs. There seems to be an anomaly within BFAR, as they appear to be misleading our fishermen,” he suspected.

The lawmaker claimed that Congress “has consistently provided funding to the agency,” and it also received repeated reminders from the chief executive to address the needs of the fishermen.

Last May 24, a fisherfolk in Masinloc, Zambales, said they had not received such assistance from the BFAR.

He was responding to the question of Khonghun during a public consultation and a joint hearing held by the House committees on national defense and security and WPS in Zambales.

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Based on BFAR’s data, a total of 385,300 fishermen are in the West Philippine Sea.

Their produce “account for 275,520 metric tons of fisheries production, equivalent to 6 percent to 7 percent of the whole fisheries sector.”