Thirty (30) fisherfolks from Barangays Asuncion, Combado and Pasay of Maasin City, Southern Leyte whose fishing boats have been totally damaged by Typhoon Odette on December 16, 2021 have been awarded with 15 units of 20-footer fiberglass boats with engines and accessories by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) on 22-January-2022.
The said fishing boats with an estimate value of Php 45,000- Php 50,000 is part of the first batch of distribution of fisheries livelihood interventions to the people of Maasin as committed by the BFAR through National Director Eduardo B. Gongona. He also pledged that the Bureau will earnestly work to deliver the requested number of fishing boats for the City of Maasin by the end of March 2022.
National Director Gongona highlighted the need to beef-up local fisheries production through provision of such livelihood and shared the weight of enacting ordinances supporting Small-Brother-Big-Brother partnerships to enhance fisheries production and establish fish security and sustainability in the country.
Further, Maasin City Mayor Nacional Mercado reminded the beneficiaries to take appropriate care of the interventions granted and religiously follow fishery laws to properly conserve and manage our fishery resources, particularly the bounties of the waters of Southern Leyte.
The said beneficiaries were identified through the On-the-Ground Assessment conducted by the Provincial Fishery Office (PFO) of Southern Leyte, assisted by the Maasin City Agriculture’s Office last December 2021. To date, Php28 million worth of damages and losses to fisheries-related livelihoods and infrastructure have been recorded and 454 fisherfolks from the 18 coastal barangays of Maasin have been evidently affected by the wrath of Typhoon Odette. More than 200 units of fishing boats are targeted to be given to these affected fisherfolks, having two beneficiaries share one boat.
In continuous response to this call of assistance envisioned to enliven the lives of not only the fisherfolk communities of Maasin City but of the Province of Southern Leyte and affected municipalities in Leyte, BFAR 8 is fabricating fiberglass boats and procuring suitable fishing gears and paraphernalia targeted to be promptly delivered within the first quarter of 2022. Necessary proposals are also being lobbied to the National Government for immediate and appropriate funding.
DA-BFAR’S RELIEF AND RECOVERY OPERATIONS REACH MORE ODETTE-STRICKEN
FISHERFOLK COMMUNITIES
Exemplifying the innate camaraderie of its Regional Offices spearheaded by its Central Office, several fabrication tools for Fiber-Reinforced Plastic Boats, boat engines, wooden boat reconstruction materials, and in-kind donations were brought to Tacloban City on December 26, 2021 by the BRP Lapu-Lapu (DA-BFAR MMOV 5001).
Showing the cooperation and benevolence which was once embodied after the onslaught of Typhoon Yolanda in 2013, BFAR Regional Office 8 received these donations for the immediate assistance of fisherfolk communities affected by Typhoon Odette in Eastern Visayas having the province of Southern Leyte and Dawahon Island in Bato, Leyte as priority areas.
Coastal municipalities whose fisherfolk communities have been severely damaged by this ravaging typhoon based on the On-the-Ground Assessment of the Bureau were considered first for immediate delivery of assistance.
To date, a total of Php444M worth of damages to fisheries-related livelihoods and infrastructures, affecting 4,823 fisherfolk in the region have been recorded by the BFAR 8. Several sustainable and adaptive interventions are being lobbied by the Office for appropriate and urgent funding.
The BRP Lapu-Lapu also transported several relief goods from volunteer media practitioners and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-8) to Limasawa, Southern Leyte in a bid to safely deliver the necessities for the island settlers who are in dire need of food and water as transportation of these goods have been difficult since the onslaught of Typhoon Odette.
Further, the BFAR 8 Donation Drive is still accepting in-kind and other necessary aids from donors. Generous individuals may visit the nearest BFAR Office in their areas or call 09704508876/09263677328 for further coordination.