TURNING THE TIDE The Philippine Fisheries and Coastal Resiliency (FishCoRe) project hopes to lift some 350,000 fisherfolk from poverty. The intended beneficiaries are those located in 24 coastal provinces, such as these villagers in Masinloc town, Zambales, in this photo taken on April 9. —JOANNA ROSE AGLIBOT
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has expressed support for the Philippine Fisheries and Coastal Resiliency (FishCoRe) Project, which aims to benefit 354,905 registered fisherfolk, the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) said Saturday.
“President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., who also heads the Department of Agriculture (DA), is fully supportive of the project as this will ‘benefit the poorest of the poor’ among the fisherfolk in 24 provinces,” said the OPS in a statement.
According to the OPS, the project is a seven-year investment to help reform fisheries and aquaculture management and enhance the value of fishing production in selected areas.
“FishCoRe’s project components include supporting the development and implementation of appropriate fisheries management policies, establishing support facilities for the rehabilitation of coastal and maritime habitats and improving institutional capacities for strengthened enforcement,” said the OPS.
The President has already extended this support to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) last Thursday, the OPS said.
“For some reason hindi nagfo-flourish ‘yung aquaculture, hindi na nade-develop. That’s why this is important for me. I think this is where — if not all, it will be part of our food supply. It will give very good income for our fisherfolk,” Marcos said.
Last Thursday, NEDA approved P11.2 billion to fund the FishCoRe project.
A total of P9.6 billion of this will come from official development assistance from the World Bank, P660.6 million will be from the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and P1.16 billion will be from private partners and cooperatives.
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