Tuesday, December 01, 2009 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES [ BusinessWorld Online ]
TACLOBAN CITY -- Western Leyte officials are pushing for the construction of a P20-million fish port that will serve Ormoc City and Albuera town.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is evaluating the project, which was proposed last year. "We were instructed by our main office to facilitate the evaluation of the sites," said BFAR regional director Juan D. Albaladejo.
The local fishing sector has been producing 600 metric tons of marine products every year.
Supporting local fishers
Albuera Mayor Sixto B. de la Victoria said fishermen in the town caught a total of 2,769.68 MT of fish in the last five years.
Fish catch during peak season reaches 25,000 kilograms per trip.
The city government of Ormoc has yet to submit data on its fishing industry to BFAR and the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA).
Mr. Albaladejo said the evaluation will include identification of the specific project site.
Earlier, Ormoc officials proposed that the port and a cold storage facility be established in the reclamation area of the city.
"If this project is realized, this will be a boost to the fishing industry in the western part of Leyte," Mr. Albaladejo said.
BFAR is looking at completing the preconstruction stage of the project early next year and starting the civil works within 2010.
Mr. Albaladejo said that once the proposed project is approved, it will form part of the Municipal Fish Port Program.
This program focuses on providing the post-harvest requirement of sustenance fishermen, including small fish landings and market facilities in select, strategic fishing communities nationwide.
Some of these municipal fish ports act as satellite ports for the regional fish ports.
PFDA provides support infrastructure, including the needed training on port operations and maintenance, in preparation for the eventual turnover of the ports’ management to local government units concerned. -- SQM
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