A group of progressive fisherfolk has urged the Department of Agriculture (DA) to mobilize its calamity funds for boat distribution and livelihood rehabilitation for fishers affected by the onslaught of Typhoon Paeng.
In a statement released, Tuesday, Nov. 8, the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said many fishers are still suffering from the damages wreaked by the typhoon that hit the country over a week ago.
“ urges the Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to immediately mobilize its calamity funds for the livelihood rehabilitation of fisherfolk,” the group said, adding that the “BFAR could conduct a boat and fishing equipment dispersal program to fishing communities mostly hit by Paeng, as well as the prior typhoons.”
Pamalakaya said that in the coastal villages in Rosario, Cavite alone, at least 20 fishing boats were destroyed by Paeng. The group said they learned about this when it conducted a relief mission in Cavite on Nov. 6, wherein they distributed 200 packs of rice and meals to the families of fisherfolk in the province.
Ronnel Arambulo, Pamalakaya spokesperson, said many fishers have not yet returned to work as “their fishing boats and gears have been shattered after being smashed by huge waves and typhoon debris.”
He appealed: “We are calling for immediate rehabilitation of the livelihood of affected fishers who are unable to return to fishing for more than a week now.”
“The successive typhoons adversely affected the livelihood activities of small fishers in most parts of the country. Although massive relief efforts helped these families to survive for a couple of days, they need long-term aid in a form of livelihood rehabilitation to help them get back on their feet and resume their journey in seas,” Arambulo continued.
Earlier, the progressive group warned of low fishing output in the last quarter of the year and early next year, primarily due to inflation that triggers high unemployment in the fishing sector.
It noted that “destructive typhoons and the administration’s ‘insufficient rehabilitation efforts’ are among the main factors in plummeting fishing production.”
“If the Marcos administration takes its sweet time in its disaster response, there will be further decline in the local fisheries production that could trigger low supply and a spike in its market prices. Being a concurrent agriculture secretary, Marcos Jr. should unconditionally and immediately mobilize calamity funds for agriculture to rehabilitate the ailing fishing sector.”
In its latest advisory, the DA noted that around P30 million worth of assistance was made available by the BFAR for repairs or replacements of damaged boats to affected fisherfolk.
Damage and losses caused by Paeng to fisheries is currently pegged at P201.73 million, based on the data released by the agriculture department.