ON MY SECOND year back in Bohol, I have always wondered about the strength of the fishing associations in the province having come from General Santos City where the SOCSKSARGEN Federation of Fishing and Allied Industries, Inc., a fishing federation with national, regional and global partners, is a force to reckon with! They lead the industry and influence national leadership in decision-making. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is their very strong partner, and they collaborate with different sectors and local government units.
In fact, they hold the yearly Tuna Congress — for over two decades now, with national and global participants, and with the Senate committee chairperson on Agriculture and Food, the secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry, other national leaders in attendance, either on opening day or during culmination program, where crucial Resolutions highlighting the different challenges confronting the industry are turned over to the Senate chairperson on Agriculture and Food, or a guest-senator whose chairmanship in a committee has considerable weight on the issues affecting the fisheries sector.
Alas, Bohol has no unified fishing federation. It seems every coastal municipality and coastal barangay have their own independent associations but these do not belong to one federation representing the whole fishing industry in the province. A fishing federation can help the member-associations address the serious challenges besetting the sector by being the voice of the industry, and as an industry leader, can lobby on behalf the member-associations.
I have spoken about this in one interview with a business leader in Bohol, and with acquaintances from the fishing sector. I expressed my hope that this will happen so there’s a dynamic and thorough approach to the issues hounding the fishing sector in the province.
Having said that, I have decided to redirect my attention to the fishing sector of Barangays Ubujan and Manga, two coastal barangays in the city of Tagbilaran.
Roger Matuod, president of the Ubujan Fishermen’s Association, explained that for the year 2023, their daily catch was just sufficient to cover for their daily needs. In fact in the 1st quarter of 2024, their fish catches were very limited, and “we always incurred losses particularly on our fuel needs,” expressed Matuod. On the other hand, Onesimo A. Caliñahan, president of Manga Fishermen’s Association, disclosed that in 2023, Manga fishers obtained a good catch, however, “these fish catches were sold at low prices.” “For the 1st quarter of 2024, our catch was still relatively good but we were confronted with low pricing,” declared Caliñahan.
Matuod estimated the membership of Ubujan association to be over three hundred, and active fishers fish in Maribojoc Bay, the nearest coastal municipality. About seventy percent of them used motorized bancas. They usually catch tuna, tamarong, danggit, mansi, anduhaw, bolinao, and isda sa bato. Meanwhile, Manga association has over two hundred members whose fishing grounds extend from Manga, in Tagbilaran City, to Maribojoc Bay, for those using pukot (nets), while those employing hook and line fishing reach as far as Cebu, Siquijor, and Cagayan de Oro, usually following the stream of salimbangon. Their usual catch include tulingan, mansi, anduhaw, tamarong, borot-borot, tulakhang, bolinao, toloy, and other fish varieties.
When queried about BFAR’s assistance, Matuod said the government agency had turned over two fishing boats to the association and initiated Bangus Farming as an alternative source of income. Matuod communicated their need to BFAR through a letter-request and fortunately, this was approved, thus, the release of two motorized bancas. He wrote another letter-request for Bangus fingerlings, and BFAR likewise approved the request.
The fingerlings were released on October 10, 2023, and the association was able to harvest on February 20, 2024. They are now awaiting the release of the second stock of Bangus fingerlings that they will collect from Barangay Bentig in Calape. Interestingly, the association’s Bangus farm which they set up in the seawaters of Ubujan was initially subsidized by BFAR with provisions of fingerlings and feeds while the association constructed the fish cage. From the harvest, they earned a decent profit that they intend to use to sustain the second cycle of their farm.
In Manga, however, Caliñahan said BFAR and the local government unit of Tagbilaran City have minimal support for the fisherfolk. It is hoped that this article can help the plight of the fishermen in Manga.
Finally, Matuod and his fellow Ubujan fishermen voiced their need for help not only for the association but for individual fisherman since the grounds for fishing have produced limited catch over the years, vis-à-vis the rising cost of fuel, gobbling their operating costs. They are asking government support through fuel subsidy via fuel discounts to minimize fuel cost. They are convinced that this will help the marginalized fishing sector.
For Caliñahan and his fellow Manga fishers, they seek alternative livelihoods including work in commercial fishing operations, loans with very low interest rates, and the provision of housing units for dwellers living near the sea.
Caliñahan is urging the local government to consider the option of organizing fishers’ markets, similar to farmers’ markets, so they can sell their fish catch at the right prices. Like Matuod, he also appeals to government to subsidize their fuel needs to enable them to sustain their fishing activity.
To end, Caliñahan is asking BFAR and the concerned local government units to revisit the provisions of Republic Act No. 10654, particularly on fishing in municipal waters, to help the lot of the “municipal fisherfolk and their cooperatives/organizations who are listed as such in the registry of municipal fisherfolk.”
Now, if a fishing federation is actively present in Bohol, wouldn’t all these valid concerns be thoroughly discussed, and presented by the federation in the right forum, participated by national and local decision-makers for policy formulation or revisit, amendment to legislation, and urgent government action?
***
Writer hosts Woman Talk with Belinda Sales every Saturday, 10:00 a.m. at 91.1 Balita FM Tagbilaran City. She can also be reached at belindabelsales@gmail.com. Twitter @ShilohRuthie./PN
