President Marcos assured Filipino fisherfolks that more fish ports will be built around the country as he cited that more people should be making a living from the sea, considering the Philippines' archipelagic nature.

In inaugurating the rehabilitated Philippine Fisheries Development Authority – Iloilo Fish Port Complex (PFDA-IFPC) in Barangay Tanza-Baybay, Iloilo City on Wednesday, Aug. 13, Marcos told fishermen that 10 more fish ports will be constructed nationwide.

Marcos said building such infrastructure would encourage more Filipinos to venture into fishing.

At present, there are about 2.2 million fishermen in the country. This figure should be bigger, he added.

"Palagay ko pag iniisip natin na ang Pilipinas ay pitong libo na isla, parang kulang yun, e (I think that when we think of the Philippines as 7,000 islands, it feels like that’s not enough). More people should be making their living from the sea," the President said.

"And that is what we are trying to encourage. At to do that, ginagawa natin pinaparami nga natin ang mga facilities na kagaya nito, pati yung transportation, pati yung cold chain. Kung maalala ninyo, cold chain ay lagi namin napapag-usapan ‘yan dahil yung cold chain ibig sabihin nasa yelo yung isda mula sa umpisa. Mula rito hanggang doon sa tutunguhan para yun na nga para maging – laging sariwa yung isda na inyong ipinagbibili (What we are doing is increasing the number of facilities like this one, as well as improving transportation and the cold chain. If you recall, we often talk about the cold chain because it means the fish is kept on ice from the very start—from here all the way to its destination—so that the fish you sell always stays fresh)," he added.

The move, Marcos also said, is aimed at being at par with the country's close neighbors in terms of supporting its fishing industry, admitting that "it’s hard to compete with them if we don’t fix our own system."

‘Pag tinitingnan natin ang ginagawa ng mga ibang bansa, kagaya ng Thailand, kagaya ng Viet Nam, kagaya ng mga ibang bansa na nakapaligid sa atin, ay napakaganda ang kanilang sistema. Kaya mahirap makipagkompetisyon sa kanila kung hindi natin ayusin ang sistema natin (When we look at what other countries are doing—like Thailand, Vietnam, and others around us—their systems are very well-developed. That’s why it’s hard to compete with them if we do not fix our own system)," the Chief Executive said.

He further said that the country needs to lower production costs, reduce transportation expenses, improve the delivery of products for sale, and ensure that the so-called “value added” stays with the fishermen and farmers.

"Iyon po ang konsepto namin para yung imbes na may binabayaran na middleman, e, kung ano yung binabayad ninyo sa middleman ay hindi na kailangan, nasa sa inyo na yun (That’s our concept—so that instead of paying a middleman, whatever you would have paid them stays with you instead)," Marcos said.

The  Iloilo Fish Port Complex was rehabilitated and improved under a contract price of P885,135,614. Its rehabilitation was finished in March 2025.

The Complex is equipped with solar panel modules mounted on key structures, including the new market hall, refrigeration building, cold storage facility, commercial building, public toilet and administration building.  

It will serve over 1,400 industry players in Western Visayas.

Inside the new market hall are 21 licensed fish brokers supported by 369 helpers, 503 fish viajeros with 344 helpers, along with 66 major overland fish suppliers, seven fishing vessel operators, and 37 retailers assisted by 74 personnel — creating a connected and fast-moving fishery supply chain from sea to market.