CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Governor Lilia Pineda lauded the full support of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in the efforts of the Capitol in uplifting the lives of the fisher folks in province.
Yesterday, during the kick-off of the celebration of Countryside Development Month, the BFAR represented by Lilia Rusca together with Governor Lilia Pineda, Vice Governor Dennis Pineda, members of the provincial board and the municipal mayors distributed some P800,000 worth of fishing gears and equipment to small fishermen.
The governor said she is optimistic that the assistance to fisher folks will help boost their daily yields and incomes as the BFAR in particular gave P528,500 fishing gears, fingerlings worth P135,000 and marine equipment with an amount of P65,000.
The BFAR officer said, there is always coordination between the BFAR and the provincial government to help fishermen.
“This is the first assistance for this year and there will be more in 2014,” Rusca said.
It can be recalled that BFAR and Mayor Annette Flores-Balgan provided some P330,00 worth of fishing gears to fishermen in the coastal towns of Macabebe and nearby Masantol.
The governos also distributed livelihood loan assistance to spouses and relatives of fishermen as part of the Negosyo King Panyulung Program of the provincial government.
Pineda wants those left at homes to earn by doing small businesses while their husband or relative is fishing.
“Pampanga has at least 4,104 municipal fisher folks. There are some 4,812 hectares of freshwater fishpond with 3,685 operators and 11,678 hectares brackish water fishpond with 1,609 operators in the province,” Pineda told Central Luzon Daily.
Rusca noted that the major aquaculture commodities in Pampanga are tilapia, bangus, sugpo and mud crab.
By JOEL P. MAPILES
