MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) Fishermen from the provinces of Bicol urged the government on Monday to come up with “immediate relief measures” to help those whose livelihood has been affected by the fish scare that followed last month’s sinking of the MV Princess of the Stars.
At the same time, Arieto Radores, chairman of the fisherfolk group Lambat-Bicol, said that, while they “appreciate the efforts of the local officials to assuage the fears of consumers that there is no contamination of the fish in the area but their efforts are not enough.”
To assure the public that fish caught in Bicol seawaters are safe for consumption, local officials and fish vendors held a fish-eating event at the Legazpi City Public Market Monday.
Albay Governor Joey Salceda ate "inunon na bolinao," fish boiled in a pot of water and salt, and "escabecheng tanguigue," fish cooked in soy sauce and black beans. He was joined by mayors, councilors and even health officials in the mass-eating of locally sourced seafood cooked by consumers and fish vendors.
Radores said fishermen along the Ragay Gulf in the province have been most affected by the fish scare. He said more than “80 percent of the families in the area rely on fishing as their main source of income.”
Radores added that prices of fish have dropped considerably because no one wants to buy fish fearing contamination, following reports that 124 bodies from various sunken vessels, including the Princess of the Stars, had been found in the seawaters off Camarines Sur and Masbate provinces.
The ill-fated ferry, which had more than 800 passengers and crew when it capsized off Sibuyan Island in Romblon on June 21, has also been found to have been carrying the toxic pesticide endosulfan.
Radores said a kilo of tulingan (mackerel) now sells for only P20 to P40 per kilo, from P80 per kilo.
He said “photo opportunities at local markets are useless when people do not have money to buy fish."
Radores said the government should instead by the local catch to provide incomes to fishermen in the area.
“Then the government can use the fish they purchased for other products like fish paste, fish balls and the like. They can even give them for free to indigent families. With this temporary scheme the fisher folk would be happy as well as those who would be given free fish,” he said.
During the fish-eating event, Salceda announced a P1-million allotment of the Department of Agriculture to Albay province for the breeding of "tilapia" fingerlings.
"This will be an alternative source of fish. Since people are afraid to eat seawater fish, we could produce more freshwater fish," he said in a mobile phone interview.
He said the amount would be given to local government units and they would distribute them to the intended beneficiaries.
"Fish is the second most important ingredient in our diet. We see that the fish scare will have an impact on the health of the people," Salceda said.
Legazpi City Mayor Noel Rosal, who also joined the event, said they wanted to correct misinformation about the fish scare being circulated through text messages.
