Marcos to LGUs: Find new sites for displaced fisherfolk
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has ordered Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos to talk to local chief executives of alternative fishing grounds to allow displaced fisherfolk in Oriental Mindoro to fish in their waters.
(https://images.mb.com.ph/production/mb-mkt-neo-prod-1-uploads/President_Ferdinand_Bongbong_Marcos_Jr_Malacanang_photo_117cc7b478/President_Ferdinand_Bongbong_Marcos_Jr_Malacanang_photo_117cc7b478.jfif)
*President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (Malacañang photo)*
Marcos said this in a situation briefing following his [aerial inspection](https://mb.com.ph/2023/4/15/marcos-wants-faster-pace-of-oil-spill-response) of areas affected by the oil spill in February. In a situation briefing with the different national government agency heads and local chief executives in Pola town, Oriental Mindoro, the President instructed Abalos to schedule a dialogue with the local officials of the four fishing sites within the Calabarzon and Mimaropa regions that the affected fishermen could tap. The four alternative fishing sites include Mindoro Strait in Mindoro Oriental; Cuyo Pass in Batangas; Tablas Strait in Romblon, and Tayabas Bay in Quezon. Marcos said that the national government, through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and attached agency of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), will continue monitoring the situation on the ground. "DENR will continue to monitor the situation. BFAR will continue to monitor the situation. As soon as maging --- ma-clear na, makabalik na tayo sa dating normal, back to the old normal (as soon as the area is cleared, you can return to your old normal)," he said.
Marcos said this in a situation briefing following his [aerial inspection](https://mb.com.ph/2023/4/15/marcos-wants-faster-pace-of-oil-spill-response) of areas affected by the oil spill in February. In a situation briefing with the different national government agency heads and local chief executives in Pola town, Oriental Mindoro, the President instructed Abalos to schedule a dialogue with the local officials of the four fishing sites within the Calabarzon and Mimaropa regions that the affected fishermen could tap. The four alternative fishing sites include Mindoro Strait in Mindoro Oriental; Cuyo Pass in Batangas; Tablas Strait in Romblon, and Tayabas Bay in Quezon. Marcos said that the national government, through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and attached agency of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), will continue monitoring the situation on the ground. "DENR will continue to monitor the situation. BFAR will continue to monitor the situation. As soon as maging --- ma-clear na, makabalik na tayo sa dating normal, back to the old normal (as soon as the area is cleared, you can return to your old normal)," he said.
According to the President, the clean-up operations of the oil spill, led by the Philippine Coast Guard, will continue as the national and local government units (LGUs) proceed to the next stage, which is the recovery of the economic activity in the area. "The immediate danger, the immediate situation has already been attended to... Lagyan nga natin ng bagong water system, bagong livelihood na pwedeng gawin (Let's install a new water system, a new livelihood for you),” Marcos said. The Chief Executive added that all the livelihood program is contained in the five-year recovery plan prepared by the local chief executives in the affected area of the oil spill.Kasama ang iba't ibang ahensya maging ang lokal na pamahalaan, masugid natin itong inaaksyunan upang makabalik na sa normal ang pamumuhay ng mga residente at matanggal na ang langis sa katubigan ng probinsya. pic.twitter.com/mwKuyiBNf8
— Bongbong Marcos (@bongbongmarcos) April 15, 2023