SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique -- Identified fisherfolk in the province have received 100 fiberglass fishing boats from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) during a ceremony held at the Binirayan Gymnasium here Thursday.
BFAR 6 (Western Visayas) Director Remia Aparri, together with Antique Lone District Rep. Loren Legarda and Governor Rhodora J. Cadiao, distributed the fiberglass boats to the beneficiaries.
“The boat costs PHP50,000 per unit with engine,” Aparri said in an interview after the turnover ceremony.
She said the 20-footer boats were the remaining commitment of former agriculture secretary Emmanuel Piñol when he visited Antique on March 15, 2017.
“The secretary committed 750 boats for the fisherfolk of Antique,” she said.
Most of the fiberglass boats had been distributed by the BFAR in the previous months.
Legarda said the boats would be a big help to the fisherfolk.
“We are really looking for solutions to meet your needs,” she told the recipient-fisherfolk and other guests who came for the distribution.
Fisherman Domingo T. Seraspe of Barangay Salvacion, Belison said the boat would be a big help for him and his family.
“I have been working as a crew of a fishing boat for the past 30 years,” he said, adding that sharing the boat with his co-owner, Aurora P. Tumangday, would help them earn more.
The BFAR has directed that each fishing boat must be owned by two fisherfolk who must use it for their livelihood and must keep it well-maintained. (PNA)