Atty. Asis G. Perez, the national director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR,) has visited the coastal town of Lebak in Sultan Kudarat where he personally immersed with the fisherfolk and local leaders. Perez said the trip was an opportunity to reach out with the fisherfolk who are sometimes deprived of the services of the government.
He said that visiting the actual project location is my way of bringing closer the government to our clients, the small and marginalized fisherfolk. Upon arrival, he immediately paid courtesy call to the community leaders of Barangay Datu Karon where he committed to allocate funds for the procurement of materials, specifically monoline requirements for the expansion of existing seaweed farm and provision of two units of stilt dryers.
His next visit was Barangay Tibpuan where he led a ceremonial launch of eight units of Fish Aggregating Device (FAD), locally known as payao, and the distribution of 15 units diesel engines for target recipients. BFAR has invested a lot to provide engines to complement existing boat hulls to enhance their efficiency to fish or to report to authorities illegal fishing activities.
The following day, the director spearheaded a mangrove planting activity at Sitio Kumalawit in Barangay Taguisa which was participated by more than a hundred individuals from various sectors including local officials and personnel, provincial reprentatives, fisherfolk leaders, Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management Councils (FARMCs), commercial fishing operators, the Philippine Marines, the Philippine National Police, BFAR personnel, and guests from the private sector.
