The move to convert the Philippines’ Bureau of Fisheries of Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to Department of Fisheries gets support.
BFAR-Davao director Fatma Idris told reporters Tuesday, August 30, during the culmination program of the Closed-season implementation in Davao Gulf that the proposed creation to a department will give the fisheries sector more power.
At present, BFAR, is one of the bureaus attached to Department of Agriculture (DA).
This move will also make us internationally competitive, because presently when we have meetings, other countries, their fisheries and aquatic resources sector already have Departments or Ministry, we are left behind because we remain as only a Bureau, she said.
She underscored that they fully support this plan of the present administration.
President Rodrigo Duterte, during his election campaign period, has promised the sector that a separate department will be established under his leadership.
BFAR said in a report that as the Philippines has vast water resources, it is only imperative to have a separate department for fisheries and aquatic resources.
Philippines is a maritime nation and it is important for the country to act like one, Bfar said.
Pursuant to the proposal, Congress must first pass a law authorizing the creation of a Department of Fisheries.
At present, proposals for its set up have already been submitted to the House of Representatives, while the Senate has initially expressed support for the initiative.
Meanwhile, two global environmental organizations, Greenpeace and Oceana Philippines have expressed support for the plan saying this can address the increasing number of issues relative to fishery production and marine preservation.
Vince Cinches, the Philippine oceans campaigner of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, said in a report that majority of the country’s fishing grounds have been overfished while the marine ecosystem has severely degraded.
He said that the creation (of a department) should be within the context of allowing Philippine seas to recover from decades old of exploitation and should enable the strong implementation of the amended fisheries code against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.”
Greenpeace earlier suggested that the new agency be called: Department of Oceans and Fisheries.
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