TUNA CATCH. An undated photo shows a worker carrying a newly-unloaded tuna at the General Santos City fishport complex in Barangay Tambler. The Soccsksargen Federation of Fishing and Allied Industries Inc. (SFFAII), an umbrella group of tuna industry players in Region 12, proposed for the temporary closure of the fishport following the emergence of confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases linked to the facility. (Photo grabbed from the Facebook page of SFFAII)
GENERAL SANTOS CITY – Tuna industry players here are pushing for the temporary closure of the city fishport complex following the emergence of confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases that were linked to the facility.
Rosanna Contreras, executive director of the Soccsksargen Federation of Fishing and Allied Industries Inc. (SFFAII), said Friday they recommended such move to the city government and the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA) to help contain the spread of the disease.
She said the proposed break, which could last several days, will allow local health personnel conduct contact-tracing activities and implement necessary containment measures.
The PFDA, which manages the 32-hectare fishport in Barangay Tambler, and the local government are now studying the group’s “inputs,” she said.
“We just provided inputs together with PFDA but all these are still up for finalization by the LGU (local government unit),” Contreras said in a text message.
Paris Ayon, food safety chief of the fishport complex, said they are currently waiting for approval from City Mayor Ronnel Rivera regarding the move.
He said they are continually coordinating with SFFAII about the proposed closure and other possible measures.
“The federation proposed that the closure will start on Sept. 2,” Ayon said.
Since Aug. 17, at least nine cases of suspected Covid-19 local transmission were recorded in the city, with one patient confirmed to have had exposure at the fishport complex.
Two other fish traders from Surallah town, South Cotabato with listed exposure to the fishport tested positive for Covid-19 in the last two days.
Mayor Rivera earlier advised the PFDA here to tighten its control measures at the fishport complex but stopped short of calling for its closure or lockdown.
He said the city cannot afford to close down the facility being an essential component of Region 12’s (Soccsksargen) food chain.
If the proposed closure pushes through, it will be the first since the fishport complex opened in 1997.
The fishport, hosts at least two wharves, four fish markets with 102 stalls, and several other facilities, is considered as the second biggest in the country and supports around 25,000 workers.
Ayon earlier said around 2,000 workers and traders converge at the facility on a daily basis. (PNA)
