Stakeholders in the fisheries sector have urged the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives to pass the measures creating the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DFAR).

A resolution calling for the establishment of the DFAR was adopted during the National Fisheries Summit 2021 held on Friday, March 26. The online event was attended by several lawmakers, Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary William Dar, Undersecretary Eduardo Gongona of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), experts, sectoral groups, and fisher folk.

Kabayan Partylist Congressman Ron Salo, one of the attendees and a co-author of the bill which proposes the creation of the DFAR, said that the summit was organized to raise awareness on the prevailing issues affecting the fisheries sector.

He said the resolution calls for a department "dedicated for the development, improvement, management, and conservation of the country’s fisheries and aquatic resources."

Currently, there are 14 bills at the House of Representatives pertaining to the proposed creation of the DFAR. In the Senate, there are three similar measures.

Salo, who chaired the the technical working group (TWG) that consolidated the different versions of the DFAR bill in the House, pointed out that the fisheries industry is a major source of livelihood among Filipinos.

The industry provides employment to over 1.9 million fisher folks and other people dependent on the industry, he said.

However, poverty incidence in the fisheries sector at 26.2 percent, is significantly higher than the national poverty estimates of 16.6 percent, notwithstanding the country’s enormous marine resources.

The resolution further cited the continuing decline in the volume of total fish production of the country from 2011-2018, which is primarily due to the outdated and inadequate policies, coupled with the government’s insufficient budgetary support.

Salo said that the creation of the DFAR "offers the prospect of harnessing the huge economic potential for a 'Blue Economy' with an estimated valuation of P75.02 trillion."

He said that the DFAR would be the government agency that would manage, develop, and conserve all fisheries and aquatic resources of the country, as well as regulate activities that impact the utilization of said marine resources.