At least PHP58.4 million have been set aside to assist poor fishermen in Eastern Visayas in the next six years under the second phase of Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD), the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said Thursday. BFAR Eastern Visayas regional information officer Christine Gresola said the allocation intended for 25 fisherfolk groups will finance the project's three components - social preparation, food production and livelihood, and program management. Some PHP4M was set aside for social preparation where profiling, needs assessment, group formation, and capacity-building will be established. 'Majority of PHP47.5 million of the budget will be for food production and livelihood, focusing on livelihood packages and specialized training for project beneficiaries. Some PHP6.9 million is allotted to the program management, which focuses on implementing internal activities necessary to carry out the requested goods and services,' Gresola said. Recipient fishermen are from one-third of the poorest town in all six provinces in the region. The list of areas is based on the new income classification by the Finance Department while the list of recipients is based on the 2018 poverty incidence report of the Philippine Statistics Authority. As the three-year project implementation intensifies, BFAR has been conducting meetings with officials of local government units and fisherfolk leaders, program orientation, and information drive. 'BFAR is optimistic that through this project, the region's fisheries industry will be strengthened and our marginalized fisherfolk communities will be empowered and transformed into thriving entrepreneurs,' Gresola added. Fishermen are among the poorest population in Eastern Visayas with a poverty incidence of 22.2 percent in 2021. The program seeks to cut poverty incidence by half. BFAR-SAAD provides services focusing on livelihood intervention in freshwater, brackish water as well as marine and aquaculture. The fisheries bureau implemented SAAD phase 1 from 2017 to 2020 with a budget of PHP185.68 million.
Source: Philippines News Agency