ILOILO CITY – The Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC), an inter-governmental body promoting research and development, gathered in this city and the province of Iloilo to tackle the challenges of the fisheries industry in the food security of Southeast Asia.
“As we confront sky-rocketing inflation as a result of rising fuel prices, we must lay out plans ahead and agree what proper actions to take,” said Atty. Demosthenes Escoto, officer-in-charge of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), at SEAFDEC’s 45th Program Committee Meeting (PCM) here.
“Southeast Asia’s continuing economic growth recovery is a vivid reminder of the pivotal function that the region’s fisheries and aquaculture has been performing in recent years,” added Escoto, representing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The PCM is hosted by the SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department (AQD) based in the Iloilo town of Tigbauan.
In attendance were fisheries officials, scientists, and researchers from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The week-long meeting that ends on Dec. 10 is assessing SEAFDEC’s programs as well as drawing up plans for future programs and the needed financial funding for research and development.
SEAFDEC-AQD chief Dan Baliao said that the PCM plays a pivotal role as it is a forum where member-nations also share findings of scientific researches on fisheries and aquaculture resources. Baliao added that these researches also undergo technical review and approval.