Nagasaki to send boats to Negros Occidental fishers

MANILA, Philippines - The provincial government of Nagasaki, Japan will be sending secondhand fishing boats to aid in restoring livelihood in typhoon-hit Negros Occidental.

Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. said in a radio interview late Thursday that he personally asked Nagasaki officials in his last trip to Japan for contribution to fishermen's recovery.

Marañon said Japanese authorities have agreed to donate some of the boats, while a few others could be bought from their owners at a "very low price."

The local official added, however, that he is still looking for ways to transport the  fishing vessels to the Philippines given the expensive shipping fees.

About 6,500 families were displaced and 13,233 homes were destroyed in Negros Occidental at the onslaught of Typhoon Yolanda last November.

The cyclone also claimed many of the residents' livelihood sources such as fishing boats and farm implements reaching P274 million worth of losses.

The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist had reported that 463 motorized bancas and 318 non-motorized bancas were damaged and destroyed.