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Cayetano pushes dedicated fisheries department amid fish production decline

Cayetano pushes dedicated fisheries department amid fish production decline
Cayetano pushes dedicated fisheries department amid fish production decline

Alarmed by a sustained drop in the country’s fish production, Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano is renewing his push to create a dedicated Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (Senate Bill No. 417), saying the current system is no longer enough to manage the country’s vast marine wealth.

Cayetano’s call came as a report estimated that the country has been losing an average of 45,472 metric tons of fish annually over the past decade, raising concerns over food security and the long-term sustainability of the sector.

A study also pointed out that there are capacity constraints within the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), which saw a 28 percent reduction in workforce from 2017 to 2023 even as its responsibilities expanded.

This comes at a critical time as fisherfolk remain among the poorest, if not the poorest, sector in the country, based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Against this backdrop, the Minority Leader said a structural reform is needed.

“The Philippines, being an archipelago with very rich marine resources, can be a marine powerhouse. Thus, it is logical to establish a Department that is focused and accountable for the development, management, and conservation of our country’s aquatic resources and fishing industries,” he said in the explanatory note of Senate Bill No. 417.

The proposed Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DFAR) will serve as the primary policy-making and regulatory body for the sector, separate from the Department of Agriculture, which Cayetano noted has historically focused more on land-based farming.

“It is time that the government provides for a focused, specialised department responsive to the needs and concerns of the fisheries and aquatic resource industry,” he said.

The measure also aims to address illegal fishing through stronger monitoring systems, tighter regulations, and better coordination with enforcement agencies and non-government groups.

The DFAR is envisioned to consolidate and streamline functions currently spread across multiple agencies, including BFAR, the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority, and marine programs under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, in a bid to reduce overlap and improve efficiency.

Other measures pending in the Senate seek to strengthen support systems for fisherfolk and protect municipal waters, but Cayetano maintained that a centralized and accountable institution is key to reversing the sector’s decline.

“This will be a significant step in order to better protect, utilize, maximize, and conserve the nation’s marine resources as well as uphold the best interest of the fisherfolk,” he said.

Cayetano, nanawagan ng hiwalay na kagawaran sa pangingisda sa gitna ng bumabagsak na huli

Sa gitna ng tuluy-tuloy na pagbaba ng produksyon ng isda sa bansa, muling nanawagan si Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano na magtatag ng isang hiwalay na kagawaran na tutok sa sektor ng pangingisda.

Sa ilalim ng Senate Bill No. 417, iginiit ni Cayetano ang panukalang lumikha ng Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources o DFAR na tututok sa pangangalaga at pamamahala ng yamang-dagat ng Pilipinas.

Batay sa isang ulat, tinatayang umaabot sa 45,472 metric tons ng isda ang nawawala sa bansa kada taon sa nakalipas na isang dekada na siyang nagdudulot ng pangamba sa food security at long term stability ng sektor.

Kasabay nito, lumabas din sa isang pag-aaral na may capacity constraints ang Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources o BFAR matapos maitala ang pagbawas ng 28 percent sa kanilang workforce mula 2017 hanggang 2023 kahit na nadagdagan ang kanilang mga tungkulin.

Dagdag pa rito, nananatiling kabilang sa pinakamahihirap na sektor sa bansa ang mga mangingisda ayon sa datos ng Philippine Statistics Authority at Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Sa ganitong sitwasyon, sinabi ni Cayetano na kailangan na ng malawakang reporma sa istruktura ng pamahalaan para sa sektor.

“The Philippines, being an archipelago with very rich marine resources, can be a marine powerhouse. Thus, it is logical to establish a Department that is focused and accountable for the development, management, and conservation of our country’s aquatic resources and fishing industries,” ayon sa explanatory note ng SBN. 417.

Sa ilalim ng panukala, ang DFAR ang magiging pangunahing ahensya sa paggawa ng polisiya at regulasyon para sa sektor, na hiwalay sa Department of Agriculture. 

Ayon kay Cayetano, mas nakatuon umano ang DA sa land-based farming.

“It is time that the government provides for a focused, specialised department responsive to the needs and concerns of the fisheries and aquatic resource industry,” wika ni Cayetano.

Layunin din ng panukala na labanan ang illegal fishing sa pamamagitan ng mas mahigpit na monitoring system,strict regulations, at mas maayos na koordinasyon sa mga law enforcement agencies at non-government organizations.

Inaasahan ding pag-isahin ng DFAR ang mga tungkulin na kasalukuyang hawak ng iba’t ibang ahensya tulad ng BFAR, Philippine Fisheries Development Authority, at mga programang pang-dagat ng Department of Environment and Natural Resources upang maiwasan ang dobleng trabaho at mapabilis ang serbisyo.

Bagama’t may iba pang panukalang nakabinbin sa Senado para tulungan ang mga mangingisda at protektahan ang municipal waters, iginiit ni Cayetano na mahalaga ang pagkakaroon ng iisang ahensyang may malinaw na pananagutan upang maibalik ang sigla ng sektor.

“This will be a significant step in order to better protect, utilize, maximize, and conserve the nation’s marine resources as well as uphold the best interest of the fisherfolk,” sabi niya.

Cayetano pushes dedicated fisheries department amid fish production decline

Alarmed by a sustained drop in the country’s fish production, Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano is renewing his push to create a dedicated Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (Senate Bill No. 417), saying the current system is no longer enough to manage the country’s vast marine wealth.

Cayetano’s call came as a report estimated that the country has been losing an average of 45,472 metric tons of fish annually over the past decade, raising concerns over food security and the long-term sustainability of the sector.

A study also pointed out that there are capacity constraints within the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), which saw a 28 percent reduction in workforce from 2017 to 2023 even as its responsibilities expanded.

This comes at a critical time as fisherfolk remain among the poorest, if not the poorest, sector in the country, based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Against this backdrop, the Minority Leader said a structural reform is needed.

“The Philippines, being an archipelago with very rich marine resources, can be a marine powerhouse. Thus, it is logical to establish a Department that is focused and accountable for the development, management, and conservation of our country’s aquatic resources and fishing industries,” he said in the explanatory note of Senate Bill No. 417.

The proposed Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DFAR) will serve as the primary policy-making and regulatory body for the sector, separate from the Department of Agriculture, which Cayetano noted has historically focused more on land-based farming.

“It is time that the government provides for a focused, specialised department responsive to the needs and concerns of the fisheries and aquatic resource industry,” he said.

The measure also aims to address illegal fishing through stronger monitoring systems, tighter regulations, and better coordination with enforcement agencies and non-government groups.

The DFAR is envisioned to consolidate and streamline functions currently spread across multiple agencies, including BFAR, the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority, and marine programs under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, in a bid to reduce overlap and improve efficiency.

Other measures pending in the Senate seek to strengthen support systems for fisherfolk and protect municipal waters, but Cayetano maintained that a centralized and accountable institution is key to reversing the sector’s decline.

“This will be a significant step in order to better protect, utilize, maximize, and conserve the nation’s marine resources as well as uphold the best interest of the fisherfolk,” he said.

Cayetano, nanawagan ng hiwalay na kagawaran sa pangingisda sa gitna ng bumabagsak na huli

Sa gitna ng tuluy-tuloy na pagbaba ng produksyon ng isda sa bansa, muling nanawagan si Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano na magtatag ng isang hiwalay na kagawaran na tutok sa sektor ng pangingisda.

Sa ilalim ng Senate Bill No. 417, iginiit ni Cayetano ang panukalang lumikha ng Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources o DFAR na tututok sa pangangalaga at pamamahala ng yamang-dagat ng Pilipinas.

Batay sa isang ulat, tinatayang umaabot sa 45,472 metric tons ng isda ang nawawala sa bansa kada taon sa nakalipas na isang dekada na siyang nagdudulot ng pangamba sa food security at long term stability ng sektor.

Kasabay nito, lumabas din sa isang pag-aaral na may capacity constraints ang Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources o BFAR matapos maitala ang pagbawas ng 28 percent sa kanilang workforce mula 2017 hanggang 2023 kahit na nadagdagan ang kanilang mga tungkulin.

Dagdag pa rito, nananatiling kabilang sa pinakamahihirap na sektor sa bansa ang mga mangingisda ayon sa datos ng Philippine Statistics Authority at Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Sa ganitong sitwasyon, sinabi ni Cayetano na kailangan na ng malawakang reporma sa istruktura ng pamahalaan para sa sektor.

“The Philippines, being an archipelago with very rich marine resources, can be a marine powerhouse. Thus, it is logical to establish a Department that is focused and accountable for the development, management, and conservation of our country’s aquatic resources and fishing industries,” ayon sa explanatory note ng SBN. 417.

Sa ilalim ng panukala, ang DFAR ang magiging pangunahing ahensya sa paggawa ng polisiya at regulasyon para sa sektor, na hiwalay sa Department of Agriculture. 

Ayon kay Cayetano, mas nakatuon umano ang DA sa land-based farming.

“It is time that the government provides for a focused, specialised department responsive to the needs and concerns of the fisheries and aquatic resource industry,” wika ni Cayetano.

Layunin din ng panukala na labanan ang illegal fishing sa pamamagitan ng mas mahigpit na monitoring system,strict regulations, at mas maayos na koordinasyon sa mga law enforcement agencies at non-government organizations.

Inaasahan ding pag-isahin ng DFAR ang mga tungkulin na kasalukuyang hawak ng iba’t ibang ahensya tulad ng BFAR, Philippine Fisheries Development Authority, at mga programang pang-dagat ng Department of Environment and Natural Resources upang maiwasan ang dobleng trabaho at mapabilis ang serbisyo.

Bagama’t may iba pang panukalang nakabinbin sa Senado para tulungan ang mga mangingisda at protektahan ang municipal waters, iginiit ni Cayetano na mahalaga ang pagkakaroon ng iisang ahensyang may malinaw na pananagutan upang maibalik ang sigla ng sektor.

“This will be a significant step in order to better protect, utilize, maximize, and conserve the nation’s marine resources as well as uphold the best interest of the fisherfolk,” sabi niya.

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