Aside from marble, the Department of Agriculture is pushing for the development of various fish resources in the province of Romblon.
“Let your province be also known for your rich aquamarine products,” Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol said during the Romblon leg of the Biyaheng Bukid on July 27.
In line with this, the Agriculture chief announced that DA will be closely monitoring the province’s fishery programs.
Piñol stressed that aside from marble or marmol, aquatic resources must also prioritized by the local government as it will surely sustain the agriculture industry in the province. As such, he urged the local chief executives to draft a 5-year development plan for aquaculture.
“From here we will plot the programs that are right for your areas, we will provide you trainings on aquamarine production and fish cage technology,” Piñol said
In his message, he also urged them to participate in the “Malinis at Masaganang Karagatan (MMK)” campaign of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
MMK, guided by the following criteria: 1. absence of illegal fishing activities in its coastal waters; 2. clean coastal waters without domestic and industrial wastes; 3. establishment of a protected marine sanctuary; 4. observance of the 3-month closed fishing season; 5. effective mangrove protection and rehabilitation program, aims to protect and conserve marine environment.
It was launched in October, 2016, and municipality of Looc in Romblon won in the regional level.
For this year, three (3) national finalists will have the chance to win P30 million (M) for 1st place, P18M for 2nd place, and P10M for 3rdplace. Regional winners will also receive P5M cash assistance.
While in Romblon, Piñol together with the officials of the national and regional BFAR office distributed assistance packages amounting to more than P12-million.
These include 117 units of 20-footer fiberglass boats, 38 units of 20-footer motorized fiberglass boats, 24 units of 10-footer fiberglass boats; marine fish cages, inputs for aquasilviculture, crab lift net, and Seaweeds Solar Dryer.
The DA MIMAROPA also turned over almost P8M worth of farming equipment, machineries and grant project.
The province was also allotted P50M-credit funding for the implementation of Production Loan Easy Access (PLEA) credit program. ### (Kristel Merle, DA-AFID)
