(Bulatlat) MANILA – A group of Filipino fisherfolk urged the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to address the declining fisheries output by providing sufficient aid, instead of using a “tambiolo” scheme.
`
“BFAR should seriously address the decline in fish production. It reflects the dire conditions that small Filipino fisherfolk are facing, with inadequate tools and insufficient capital to fish,” said Ronnel Arambulo, spokesperson of Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA).
The Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that the value production in agriculture and fisheries declined by 0.6 percent, covering the months of April to June 2022 — with fisheries production contracted by 2.3 percent in the second quarter of the year.
To address this, the Department of Agriculture (DA) expanded the distribution of fuel subsidies to corn farmers and fisherfolk, which entitles them to a 30-percent discount on gasoline or diesel, at a maximum of P3,000 each.
Pamalakaya, however, said that their local chapters in Laguna de Bay reported the P3,000 fuel subsidy from the municipal office of BFAR was only for 25 fishers per village. To select the beneficiaries, officials opted for a “tambiolo” or raffle system… Read More
