THE PHILIPPINES should build a self-reliant coastal defense system and support local shipbuilders if it wants to become a maritime hub, experts and a local shipbuilder said. “Maritime security is a necessary condition for developing the Philippines as a maritime hub,” said George N. Manzano, a trade expert from the University of Asia and the Pacific. “If there are dangers…
First of all, I am thankful to be a member of the prestigious Maritime League and being able to attend its Maritime Forum where I have exchanged notes or opinions with some of its members, either through the Forum or private messages. I am very honored to have exchanged notes with no other than the Former Associate Chief Justice Tony…
CAPT TOMAS D BAINO was a Trustee, a member of the Executive Committee (EXECOM) of the Maritime League, and a member of the Editorial Board of the Maritime Review. CAPT Baino was a registered naval architect and civil engineer in the Professional Regulation Commission in the Philippines. He was the former Commanding Officer of the Naval Shipyard, Philippine Navy and…
A box of assorted shark’s fin with an estimated weight of 11 kilograms and an estimated worth of Php77,000 loaded inside an Eagle Star Bus headed to Cubao/Pasay was found by the BFAR 8 Fisheries Inspection Quarantine Officer and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) stationed in Sta. Clara Port in Allen, Northern Samar, in the late afternoon of 17-March-2023. Said box…
DA-BFAR’s Lambaklad Project Beneficiary in Occidental Mindoro Fish Catch Improves at nearly 18,000 KG in seven months The San Agustin Lambaklad Fisherfolks Association in San Jose Occidental Mindoro has produced a total of 17,915.34 kilograms of fish from December 2021 to June 2022 through the implementation of Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Capture Fisheries Division’s (CFD) pilot lambaklad…
State auditors have affirmed efforts of the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to maintain transparency and accountability in its financial activities, as the Commission on Audit renders an unqualified opinion on DA-BFAR Central Office’s financial statements for 2021—a first in the history of BFAR. An unqualified opinion is the highest audit rating given by the COA…
The Australian Embassy in Manila hosted the Small Craft Intelligence and Targeting Workshop held at the New World Hotel, Makati City. Four (4) analysts and watch-standers of the National Coast Watch Center participated in the workshop from 30 March to 03-June-2022. Experts from the Australia Department of Home Affairs and Australia Border Force shared their best practices and expertise in…
LOS BAÑOS, Laguna, 3-June-2022. 50,000 pieces of Bighead Carp seedlings were dropped into Laguna Lake under the Balik Sigla River and Lake program or BASIL. The seedlings were released in Laguna Lake which covers the towns of Pangil, Siniloan, Paete, Pakil and Kalayan, Laguna. 10,000 pieces of Bighead Carp seedlings were allocated for each town. The launch was successful under…
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The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has confirmed the increasing presence of Filipino fishermen in Bajo de Masinloc, Zambales. During the intensified maritime operations from 28 February to 05 March 2022, the PCG has monitored approximately 45 Filipino fishing boats conducting fishing activities at the vicinity waters off Bajo De Masinloc. Through the ongoing “Bayanihan sa Karagatan,” personnel of BRP Capones…
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The Philippines and the Republic of Korea conducted the first joint fisheries committee meeting online on 1-October-2021 to pursue an active partnership between the Philippines’ Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) in the field of fisheries and seafood trade. Chaired and co-chaired by MOF-International Cooperation Bureau Director General Dong-sik Woo and DA Undersecretary…
Violators beware! Collectors of banned fishery products worth nearly Php 13 million were recently apprehended by local authorities during an operation conducted in Barangay Punta Engaño, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu. Dr. Allan Poquita, regional director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Central Visayas (BFAR Region 7), advises people to refrain from catching or gathering the protected species since…
FISHERIES MANAGEMENT AREAS (FMA) The Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) No. 263 or the Establishment of Fisheries Management Areas (FMA) for the Conservation and Management of Fisheries in Philippine Waters took effect on 9-February-2019. The objective of the policy is to establish FMA and provide a science-based, participatory and transparent governance framework and mechanism to sustainably manage fisheries. Under FAO 263,…
The neglect by the government in implementing environmental laws and regulations caused some concerned residents to file suit, and this resulted in the issuance of the Supreme Court Continuing Mandamus on the Clean-up of Manila Bay. Lead Counsel Antonio Oposa Jr stated it succinctly: “If there is lack of political will on the part of government agencies, it is the…
The Cagayan River is known throughout the Philippines as the “Rio Grande de Cagayan” because it is the longest, largest and widest river in the Philippines. The length of the river is about 350 km and has a drainage basin covering 27,753 sq. km, flowing along the provinces of Apayao, Aurora, Cagayan, Ifugao, Isabela, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Nueva Vizcaya and…
With over 2 million square kilometers of coastal and oceanic waters connecting the archipelago, the Philippine fishery is one of the major sources of food and income of the population. This area contains a common property resource – fishery and aquatic – that needs protection for the present and future generations. Recent reports indicate that among the country’s major economic…
Philippine fishery products can now enter the Russian market after the conclusion of talks between agriculture officials from the Philippines and Russia on 5-December-2018 in Moscow. Agriculture Undersecretary Waldo R. Carpio said that three Philippine fisheries exporters have been granted accreditation to export fisheries products to Russia. The announcement was made following the first-ever Philippines-Russia Joint Working Group Meeting on…
National Fishery is composed of Commercial, Municipal, and Aquaculture Fishery. The Municipal Fishery sector is composed of Municipal Marine and Municipal Inland Fishery. Aquaculture is composed of Mariculture (Seaweed, Oyster, Mussel), Marine Fish Cage, Marine Fish Pen; Brackishwater Fish Cage, Brackishwater Fish Pen, Brackishwater Fish Pond; Freshwater Fish Cage, Freshwater Fish Pen, Freshwater Fish Pond; Small Farm Reservoir, and Rice…
General Santos City (GenSan) is located in South Cotabato, in southwest Mindanao, and is a modern fish port. Its original name was Dadiangas, but was later renamed General Santos after the city’s founder, General Paulino Santos, who was a former commanding general of the Philippine Army. As the Tuna capital of the Philippines, GenSan carries the flag for South Cotabato…
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Recognizing the archipelagic and maritime nature of the country, then President Fidel V Ramos issued in 1994 the National Marine Policy (NMP) to guide various stakeholders in the maritime community, especially those in government, in managing the “blue economy.” The policy contains four key areas: Politics and Jurisdiction, Area Regulation and Enforcement, Area Development and Conservation, and Maritime Security. Although…
Scientific Family. The Giant Clams belong to the genus Tridacna (Bruguière 1797), of which Tridacna gigas is the largest living immobile bivalve mollusk in the world. The Giant Clam is known as “Taklobo” in the Philippines. They live in the shallow coral reefs of the South China Sea, West Philippine Sea, Sulo Sea, Red Sea, but mainly in the Indian…
The Talangka in the Philippines is from the scientific family Grapsidae and species Varuna litterata. Apart from the Philippines, Varuna litterata is also known to exist in Australia, China, Fiji, French Polynesia, Indonesia, Japan, Madagascar, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nansha (Spratly) Islands, New Caledonia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paracel Islands, South Africa, and Sri Lanka. The Varuna Litterata was named in 1798…