No charge for fisherfolk registration

CEBU, Philippines - The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources clarified that the fisherfolk registration in the country will have no corresponding fees.

BFAR national director Asis Perez made this statement following reports that some local government units are charging some fees for the registration of fisherfolk in their respective municipalities.

“The registration is without any fee but ‘yung licensing may bayad depending on the local government unit kung magkano ang na-approve nila through their respective resolution,” said Perez.

BFAR launched in the second quarter of this year, their national program for Municipal Fisherfolk or FishR.

FishR is designed to assist local government units to comply with the provision of Republic Act 8550 or the Fisheries Code of 1998 which provides for the registration of municipal fisherfolk.

The bureau had devised mechanisms to ensure the full implementation of this program, which admittedly is long overdue, in close partnership with all coastal cities and municipalities.

Here in Cebu, Alma Saavedra, BFAR-7 regional information officer, said that out of the 150,000 fisherfolks registered nationwide, 15,000 of them are from Cebu.

Saavedra said that to date, Cebu has no baseline data as to how many fisherfolk are here.

“Wala gyud ‘tay baseline data kung pila gyud ang atong mga fisherfolk dinhi. This is the first time nga makahibalo ta pila gyud ang data diri. I hope the fisherfolk will cooperate,” she said.

Perez said that for the past decade, the fishing sector has been neglected by previous administrations and it is lamentable that this sector remains to be the poorest of the poor.

Melanie Guerra, BFAR national fish coordinator, in her presentation during the Environmental Media Conference among media practitioner in Regions 6, 7 and 8 last week in Iloilo, said that the coastal communities in the country continue to experience poverty due to the declining fish catch.

Aside from this, Guerra said the lack of sustainable livelihood options and lack of access to basic services such as health and education among the fisherfolk contribute poverty on this sector.

Guerra added that 80 percent of fisherfolk household live below the poverty line and that coastal communities are threatened and displaced from their settlements by unregulated private and public development projects.

BFAR eyes to register at least 2 million fisherfolk in the country by next year.

In a separate press statement, BFAR said that through FishR, the bureau would be able to know how to serve the fishermen better with the intent of recognizing them as BFAR’s real beneficiaries.

Knowing the everyday risks encountered by our fishermen, BFAR said the program will be able to provide fisherfolk with medical and health insurance proposed to be allotted with P200 million worth of funds.

BFAR has earmarked P30 million to ensure the complete fisherfolk registration all over the country.

FishR is open to all workers in the fisheries sector to include municipal fishermen, fish vendors, fish farmers, and all other workers in allied industries. —/BRP (FREEMAN)