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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Senators back BFAR's request for P450-M budget for additional vessels in WPS

Senators back BFAR's request for P450-M budget for additional vessels in WPS

Published Oct 17, 2023 11:46 am

Senators on Tuesday, October 17 expressed their support to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources’ (BFAR) budget request for the purchase of three monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) vessels to help fisherfolk in the West Philippine Sea. 

 

This was after BFAR Director Demosthenes Escoto told the Senate it needs around P450-million next year for the purchase of these MCS vessels during the Senate Finance subcommittee hearing on the proposed P167-billion budget of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and its attached agencies, including BFAR. 

 

Each MCS 50-meter vessels costs around P150-P200-million. Currently, Escoto said the agency has 12 MCS vessels supplying fuel to fishing vessels in the WPS.

 

Escoto also said they have submitted a proposal for the refleeting of these vessels because some of these are already old and were procured more than 15 years ago. Others are being repaired and cannot be used.

 

“So we are proposing purchasing about three new vessels at least every other two years, so that probably in around 10 years we will be able to complete a new set,” Escoto told senators during the hearing. 

 

Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito and Sen. Cynthia Villar, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and who presided the hearing, supported BFAR’s proposal. 

 

“I think we have to support that so that we can also take advantage because that is, after all our territory. Our fishermen should be the ones there,” 

 

Villar, on the other hand, suggested that they defend the P50-million confidential and intelligence funds of the DA that Sen. Raffy Tulfo wants realigned to anti-smuggling agencies. 

 

“Sana sinabi mo na lang na gagamitin na lang natin pambili vessel sa WPS. So that’s for protection di ba? Hindi na niya maku-kwestyon yun kasi for (You should have said you will use the funds to buy vessels for the WPS. Because that’s for additional protection right? He won’t question that because it will be used for the) Philippine seas, and that’s to protect our fishermen. Pwede natin dalhin yun dun (We can realign the funds there),” Villar pointed out. 

 


“But then again, that’s just P50-million,” she quipped. 

 

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III also commended the BFAR and its role in protecting the country’s resources in the WPS, saying they are a critical agency in guarding the West Philippine Sea.

 

This after Escoto informed the panel that their MCS vessels are being utilized in tandem with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in the regulare patroling of the country’s waters including the WPS and Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal).

 

“On top of that, we are also engaged in empowering our fisherfolks in order to bring them back to their original fishing grounds. We have this project that in a way, will empower them to bring them back to their fishing grounds because we have observed that in the past years, (the number of) our fisherfolks that are fishing in those areas have declined,” Escoto said.

 

“So we need to really encourage them and empower them and bring them back to the traditional fishing ground,” the BFAR director added.  

 

“BFAR appears to be as critical as the Philippine Coast Guard, even when it comes to protecting our exclusive economic zone (EEZ),” Pimentel said.

 

“Be aware of your very critical role, not only with your mandate, but even with protecting our EEZ,” the minority leader also said.

 

Related Tags

Senate of the Phiippines 2024 national budget BFAR west philippine sea
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