The Department of Agriculture - Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) has allocated up to PHP80 million worth of livelihood for fisherfolk in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), including nearby regions. Nazario Briguera, spokesperson and head of BFAR's Information and Fisherfolk Coordination Unit, said the Livelihood Activities to Enhance Fishery Yield and Economic Gains (LAYAG) in the WPS project is a government initiative to allocate projects, with focus on the WPS when it comes to enriching the local fisheries production. 'So we're looking at close to PHP80 million that we can allocate for 2023 to implement this project in the West Philippine Sea. Part of this project is that we provide different livelihood inputs to the fishermen along the West Philippine Sea belt, those provinces facing the West Philippine Sea,' Briguera said in a Laging Handa briefing. On June 12, the department gave away boats, various fishing gear or paraphernalia, seaweed propagation gears, as well as fisheries post-harvest equipment to 80 beneficiaries on the island. 'That's what we did on Independence Day where the BRP Francisco Dagohoy sailed in the West Philippine Sea, specifically in Pag-asa Island, it anchored there on the directive of the President to bring the service closer of the government to our fishermen, in the fishing sector, especially in the distant coasts, including Pag-asa Island,' he said. 'So we are doing this to comply with the President's directive to make government services available even in remote areas.' The project also includes fuel subsidies for municipal fishing and commercial fishing boats. Aside from Kalayaan Island, other regions included in the project are Central Luzon, the Ilocos region, and Mimaropa.
Source: Philippines News Agency