KALIBO, Aklan – A bill seeking to establish a fish port in the municipality of Tangalan hurdled its third and final reading in the House of Representatives.
House Bill No. 8460 had 266 affirmative votes with zero negative votes on August 14, 2023.
The Committee on Aquaculture and Fisheries Resources, Appropriations recommended the approval in its Committee Report No. 652 on May 30, 2023.
“The fishing industry is an important contributor to the Philippine economy, and establishing more fish ports helps promote the development of this industry. Fish ports provide the necessary infrastructure to support the processing, storage and distribution of fish products, which can improve the efficiency and profitability of the industry,” said 2nd District Rep. Teodorico Haresco, Jr., who authored the bill.
Tangalan, a 5th-class municipality, is 19 kilometers northeast of the capital town of Kalibo, Aklan.
Haresco believed the proposed fish port would generate economic activity and job opportunities for residents and provide a hub for the processing and distribution of fish products in the region.
Once enacted into law, the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA), an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture, will supervise the Tangalan fish port.
Within two years after the construction of the fish port, the PFDA will transfer its management through a memorandum of agreement to the local government of Tangalan./PN
