President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday bared his plan to establish 10 new fish ports with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment in the country, as part of efforts to develop the agri-fishery sector and attain food security.
Marcos made the commitment as he led the inauguration of the rehabilitated and improved Philippine Fisheries Development Authority.
In his speech, Marcos cited the importance of building new fish ports with key structures, such as cold storage facilities, to enhance operational efficiency and address logistics issues.
“Kaya inaayos natin itong mga fish port na ganito para dito puwedeng isakay kaagad. Hindi na kailangan isakay sa truck, tapos kung saan-saan pa dadalhin. Napakalaki ang bayad ng transportasyon (We are upgrading fish ports like this, so that supply can be loaded immediately, without the need for trucks, and be distributed everywhere. Transport costs are very high),” he said
“I’m looking forward ngayon doon sa ating ibang itatayo na… Iyon hindi na rehabilitation ‘yun, bago ‘yun (I’m looking forward to the other ones that we are going to build… That’s not rehabilitation, that’s new). We have to put up fish ports na bago (that are new).”
Marcos said the Philippines has to keep up with its neighboring countries like Thailand and Vietnam, which have adopted a similar system to improve the fisheries sector, become globally competitive, and boost food production.
He said the new fish ports would benefit more than 2 million Filipino fishermen, as they are expected to earn higher incomes.
“This is why our infrastructure is important, dahil kahit na simpleng-simple lang na disenyo, eh mayroon lang tayong hallway na malaki, napakalaking bagay na kasi magiging sentro na ‘yan para sa ating mga mangingisda na connection (because it’s a big thing, even though its design is very simple – we only have a large hallway – it could become a center for our fishermen to build connections),” Marcos said.
“They have a connection to our ice plants, they already have a connection to frozen food retailers, to retailers – the small ones and then the small stores that sell them.”
The rehabilitated fish port, funded through the PFDA’s Multi-Year National Government Subsidy with a contract price of PHP885.14 million, was completed in March, featuring modern facilities and increased capacity to better serve its clients and stakeholders.
The rehabilitated PFDA-IFPC is equipped with a 390-kilowatt peak (kWp) Solar Photovoltaic (PV) system with 1,152 370-watt PV solar panel modules mounted on key structures, including the new market hall, refrigeration building, cold storage facility, commercial building, public toilet, and administration building.
Serving as a bustling hub of fisheries and trade in Western Visayas, the PFDA-IFPC is home to more than 1,400 industry players who drive the region’s economy.
Inside the new market hall are 21 licensed fish brokers supported by 369 helpers, 503 fish viajeros with 344 helpers, along with 66 major overland fish suppliers, seven fishing vessel operators, and 37 retailers assisted by 74 personnel, creating a connected and fast-moving fishery supply chain from sea to market. (PNA)