By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Displaying their heartlessness, Chinese fisherfolk have been using cyanide in Bajo de Masinloc to intentionally destroy the traditional fishing grounds of Filipino fisherfolk.

This was revealed on Saturday (17 Feb 2024) by Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) chief information officer Nazario Briguera who said parts of the resource-rich lagoon had been destroyed.

“‘Yung mga Chinese fishermen ay gumagamit ng cyanide,” Briguera bared in a press conference in Quezon City.

He added that BFAR has yet to assess the amount of the damage due to cyanide fishing, but Briguera estimated it to breach the billion-peso mark.

“This is a serious concern that we need to condemn… Magkakarugtong ang ating karagatan… Umaagos po, may interconnectivity ang currents,” the BFAR official said.

China’s use of cyanide — especially in an area beyond their exclusive economic zone — is a “clear case of illegal, unreported and undocumented fishing,” he concluded.

(el Amigo/MNM)

Ni Liza Soriano

HUMIRIT ang Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) na dagdagan ang patrol vessels na magbabantay at aalalay sa mga mangingisda sa West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Sa pagpapatuloy ng pagdinig sa panukalang 2024 budget ng Department of Agriculture (DA) at attached agencies nito, sinabi ni BFAR Director Demosthenes Escoto na sa ilalim ng kanilang re-fleeting program ay humihiling sila ng tatlong bagong vessels para sa kada dalawang taon.

Ito, aniya, ang target sa ngayon  para sa pagsapit ng 10  taon ay kumpleto na nila ang set ng kinakailangang patrol vessels sa WPS.

Sa pagtaya ng BFAR, ang bawat MCS patrol vessel ay nagkakahalaga ng P150 million hanggang P200 million at ang bawat vessel ay may kakayahang magsuplay ng langis at iba pang logistics tulad ng pagkain na makatutulong din sa  mga mangingisda.

Bukod dito ay maaaring magamit ang mga vessel sa relief operations tuwing may kalamidad.

Suportado naman ni Senator JV Ejercito ang panukalang ito ng BFAR dahil mas dapat na nakikinabang, aniya, sa marine resources ng West Philippine Sea ay ang mga mangingisda Pinoy at hindi ang mga Chinese militia vessel.

Iminungkahi rin ni Ejercito na mabigyan ng kaunting intelligence fund ang BFAR para pambili ng vessel dahil nagagamit din ito sa pagpapatrolya sa exclusive economic zone ng bansa sa WPS.

Sinabi  naman ni Senadora Cynthia Villar na nasa P50 million lamang ang intelligence fund na ire-realign at kukulangin ito sa halaga ng bawat maliliit na barko.

(ai/mnm)

By Liezelle Soriano

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources is set to allocate confidential funds to bolster its monitoring efforts in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Earlier, BFAR National Director Demosthenes Escoto expressed his appreciation to the lawmakers for an increase in fund allocation, emphasizing that it will significantly improve their surveillance operations in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

This statement comes in response to the House of Representatives announcement of plans to realign confidential funds and boost the budget for intelligence and security forces.

Escoto stated, “This initiative will empower our agency to fortify and enhance our existing monitoring, control, and surveillance activities in the WPS and other fishing areas, ensuring the sustainable utilization of our marine resources and safeguarding the livelihoods of our fisherfolk.”

He also added, “The DA-BFAR respects the wisdom of our lawmakers in assessing the necessity for budget augmentation.”

Senior Vice Chair Stella Luz Quimbo of the House Committee on Appropriations emphasized their commitment to “strengthening the guardians of the WPS” as their top priority.

“We are currently reviewing fund allocations across various agencies and rationalizing the use of confidential and intelligence funds. As of now, ten agencies have been affected,” Quimbo stated.

The lower house gave its approval to the proposed 2024 national budget totaling P5.768 trillion on September 27.(ai/mnm)