Fiberglass boats replace wooden bancas of Yolanda-hit fisherfolks

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) has started building 5,000 units of fiberglass boats called “Bangkang Pinoy” for local fisherfolks whose units were completely destroyed by Super Typhoon Yolanda.

Building fiberglass boats is still part of the agency’s AHON! Rehabilitation Initiative which targets to build more than 30,000 fishing boats for Yolanda-hit municipal fisherfolks in Mimaropa, Central and Eastern Visayas.

In seven months since the initiative started, AHON! has already covered 1, 098 coastal barangays in 102 municipalities and built 24,109 fishing boats or almost 75 percent of the initiative’s target

BFAR national director Asis G. Perez said that under their continuous program to rehabilitate the fishery sector, the agency is building more durable boats in consonance with President Aquino’s “build back better” rehabilitation approach to all sectors affected by Yolanda.

 â€œThese fiberglass boats, which we call Bangkang Pinoy, are designed to survive rough seas and keep fishers safely afloat even when unexpected disasters strike at sea,” Perez said.

Last month, 45 of the agency’s personnel from Regions 2, 4B, 5, 6, 7 and 8 attended training on fiberglass boat building at the National Marine Fisheries Development Center (NMFDC) in Sangley Point, Cavite.

The participants attended  a series of lectures and actual application of their newfound knowledge on boatbuilding which culminated in the construction of 20-footer and 30-footer prototype fiber glass boats and molds.

 The trained personnel would  be deployed in Eastern Visayas to help train others, including fisherfolks who are willing to learn the technique in constructing fiber glass boats, Perez said.

 â€œOur aim is to pass the boat-building technology down to the fisherfolks in order to give them the option as well as the ability to build better fishing boats for themselves,” Perez explained

Aside from the technology, BFAR would also provide the materials, fishing gears and motor engines for the 5,000 fisherfolk beneficiaries of the fiberglass boats.

In a similar project started after Yolanda’s destruction, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF Philippines)  created a blueprint for Bancas for the Philippines to restore food security among local fisherfolk and establish resilience in coastal communities that stand vulnerable to climate change impacts.

To veer away from band-aid solutions and dole-outs, the WWF-Philippines program teaches fishermen who lost their boats how to build their own fiberglass bancas and replicate boat moulds for future use, for succeeding generations. 

Since its launch in February 2014, Bancas for the Philippines has completed the training of local fishermen and boat builders from at least eight population nodes in Leyte and Northern Palawan for the production of 600 fiberglass boats.

The fishermen and boat-builders, who received training for a week, are then able to transfer their knowledge and skills to fellow mariners in their coastal communities.

Key resources like boat moulds, tools, and training modules are provided to sustain the building of fibreglass bancas for the long term.

“Bancas for the Philippines went beyond physical re-engineering. In a sense, it involved re-booting social software. This project is about building skills, creating opportunities, and crafting new platforms for resilience,” said WWF-Philippines vice-chairman and CEO Jose Ma. Lorenzo Tan.

Naval architect and indigenous watercraft expert Ramon Binamira Jr. pointed out that “fiberglass boats are faster, cheaper, and easier to make.”

Fiberglass has been used as a boatbuilding material in North America since the late 1940s.

In the Philippines, fiberglass has been available for over 50 years. Because they are watertight, fiberglass boats prevent leaks and reduce maintenance. Unlike their wooden counterparts, fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) hulls are one continuous piece, preventing water from seeping in.

When laid up in the sun, fiberglass boats do not shrink. In contrast, wooden hulls shrink or swell when brought out of the water and laid up. Because fiberglass is non-organic, the boats become rot-proof and resistant to shipworms and other marine borers.

Provided that they are cared for properly, fiberglass boats last longer than wooden bancas.

Binamira estimates that the boat’s fibreglass hull is at least thrice more puncture-resistant than one with an 8 to 10 millimeter wooden frame. 

The boats of the future, fiberglass bancas allow for simpler and more efficient construction through open-access technology.

One mold can be used to make at least 20 banca hulls. The trainees also learn how to make new moulds in order to sustain fiberglass boat-making in their communities.