Noy urged to distribute fishponds, aquafarms to small fishermen

MANILA, Philippines - Militant group Pamalakaya on Tuesday pressed President Benigno Aquino III to distribute for free vast hectares of fishponds and aqua farms to small fishermen through organizations and cooperatives all over the country.

 

Pamalakaya vice chairperson Salvador France estimated that there are over 800,000 hectares of fishponds, prawn farms and aquafarms under the control of multinational corporations and big landlords engaged in the exportation of fishery products.

 

France blamed the implementation of the 25-year old Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program which paved the way for the exemption of large-tracts of aquafarms and fishponds from distributing these fish farms to the fisheroflk organizations and cooperatives.

 

He said that due to fatal loopholes of CARP, Congress was able to pass a law that amended RA 6657 or the Comprehensive Agrarian Refrom Law. It was enacted on February 1995.

 

Under RA 7881, fishponds and prawn farms and other aquafarms used for production of fishery products for export are exempted from the implementation of CARP. 

 

France said the amendment to the CARP denied some 250,000 fish workers to become agrarian reform beneficiaries and nurture these fish farms.

 

He noted that the big landlords and multinational corporations engaged in exportation of fish products evaded distribution of these fish farms courtesy of CARP and the amending law exempting fishponds and aquaculture farms from land and aquatic reform.  

 

Quoting a study made by several non-government groups in local fisheries in 1995, France said that  some 50, 305 hectares of fishponds in Central Luzon, Western Visayas and Western Mindanao were exempted from distribution due to CARP and RA 7881.  

 

He said, for those who are leasing the lands like foreign corporations, the government allowed them to conduct aquafarming for 25 years renewable for another 10 to 25 years under the Fishpond Lease Agremeent, which is provided under the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998.

 

Pamalakaya is supporting the passage of Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill authored by the late Anakpawis partylist Rep. Crispin Beltran and outgoing congressman Rafael Mariano. 

 

The bill,  which is having difficulty to get Congress’ nod,  endorses the free distribution of fish ponds and aquafarms to fisherfolk organizations and cooperatives, while unproductive ponds will be rehabilitated for restoration to their previous state as part of the country’s marine areas.

 

Pamalakaya said the 25-year-old CARP, the amending law RA 7881 and the Fisheries Code of 1998 also triggered the mass occupation of two of the biggest lakes in the country--- Laguna Lake and Taal Lake by export-oriented fishery companies.