07 Nov 2009
BFAR admits families will be displaced due to proposed City Fishport Complexby Sarwell Q. Meniano
TACLOBAN CITY -The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) disclosed that some families dwelling in the city's reclamation area will be displaced with the plan to set up a P300 million Tacloban City Fish Port Complex..
Juan Albaladejo, BFAR regional director, said that the need to clean up the surrounding will prompt the city government and the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA) to relocate some families in the reclamation area.
"The fish port needs bigger space. Initially, it will require two to three hectares. More lots will be used in building plants for its full development," Albaladejo said in a phone interview.
The city government initially planned to establish the port in the Old Bus Terminal and in Barangay 37 Reclamation Area. The squatter area has around 500 houses. Authorities are still on the process of identifying specific affected households.
The proposed facility will be patterned after the fishing port in General Santos City - it has piers, refrigeration facilities, ice plants and processing plants-to enable fishers to unload their catch, process them and export their products to whatever markets because of their nearness to airports.
The relocation of families will also help maintain sanitation within the fish port complex. With this plan, the BFAR official has called on families that will be affected to cooperate since this will spur economic growth and provide more livelihood opportunities in the city in a long term.
"I pray that all concerned groups will work together so that we won't lose the chance to obtain the project. The funding is ready but the release will mainly depend on preparations of the city government," Albadejo said.
The Department of Agriculture through PFDA is pushing to kick-off the P300 million project before the end of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's term mid 2010.
The city council earlier approved a resolution allowing City Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez to sign a memorandum of agreement with PFDA. Before the signing, Albaladejo said that the local government has to provide a location map for the site.
"I wish the MOA signing will take place this year. Local officials should get together," Albaldejo said.
He said that the project will give clear direction to the flourishing tuna industry in Eastern Samar and Northern Samar seas which recently drew catchers feeding the requirements of General Santos City tuna processing plant.
"The building of fish port is timely because of the dwindling tuna population in General Santos, which is known to be the country's tuna capital. Some of the GenSan commercial fishers have been going to Eastern Samar and they ship it out to their place," Albaladejo explained.
The official said that the city is the ideal place to build the new fish port not only that Tacloban is the capital of Eastern Visayas but also the geographic location facing the Pacific Ocean and their proximity to existing airport.
The region has been identified as part of the country's super highway for tuna being located in the Eastern seaboard hosting the untapped exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the Pacific Ocean .
The Pacific Ocean is home to migratory species like bluefin, yellowfin, and skipjack tuna, which usually go there during the colder months of the year's second semester.
"Since we don't have fish port in the region, the tuna catch in Eastern Samar is being monopolized by ice plant operators. Fishermen were forced to sell it to them at a lower price," he added..
If the project will be pushed through, it will attract canning operations, fish mill plants and many investors in the tuna industry and will create more jobs. He said that it will also boom the existing mariculture (marine agriculture) zones in the region because of the steady market.
BFAR is looking at towns of Guiuan or San Julian in Eastern Samar as alternative project site if in case the plan will not succeed in Tacloban.
The agriculture department embarked on a medium-term plan to boost fish catch and sustain the high growth Philippine fisheries by investing in ports in the country's Eastern seaboard.
Source:
http://leytesamardaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9207&Itemid=233
TACLOBAN CITY
