Brgy captains urged to register fisherfolk

CEBU, Philippines - The 22 barangay captains of Talisay City were mandated to register all fishermen in their respective area of responsibility.

Councilor Antonio Bacaltos, Jr. said the principal purpose of the undertaking is to endorse a basic and uniform national registration system for municipal and city fisherfolk using the Registry System for Basic Sector in Agriculture (RSBSA) which is now being implemented in the whole country.

Bacaltos chairs the committee on Agriculture and Aquatic Resources and the Committee on Environmental Protection, Wildlife Ecology & Natural Resources Management.

Bacaltos said that under Republic Act 8550, otherwise known as the Fisheries Code of the Philippines, all the cities and municipalities are required to maintain a registry of fisherfolk.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) together with the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) and the League of Cities of the Philippines are implementing the National Program for Municipal Fisherfolk Registration (FishR).

The Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Budget and Management, National Statistics Office, and the National Anti-Poverty Commission are also active in this national program.

“The fisherfolks who will avail of the registration will be given preferential access to all fishing and other socio economic benefits,” Bacaltos said.

Mayor Johnny Delos Reyes will approve the application for registration.— /FPL (FREEMAN)