Lawmakers to create inter-agency panel for fisherfolk’s concerns

MANILA, Philippines — Lawmakers vowed to create an inter-agency panel tasked with looking into the grievances raised during their consultation meeting with Zambales fishermen last week.

Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr. said that the lower house will take note of the fisherfolk’s concerns in the joint hearing of the House Committees on National Defense and Security and the Special Committee on the West Philippine Sea in Masinloc, Zambales, on Friday.

READ: Fisherfolk to lawmakers: You only remember us during elections

“Malapit na naman ‘yung budget season. Narinig natin iyong ating mga fisherfolk. So rest assured that we will form an inter-agency [panel] para magkaroon ng kasagutan itong kahilingan at kanilang mga nararamdaman,” Gonzales said in a press briefing after the hearing, as quoted in a statement on Saturday.

(The budget season is approaching again. We have heard our fisherfolk. So rest assured that we will form an inter-agency panel to address their requests and concerns.)

“Kanina nakita ninyo may umiiyak na fisherfolk at iyan eh nakakadugo sa puso. Iyan ang hanapbuhay nila. So more reasons, ang sabi nga ng leader ng Kongreso, si Speaker Martin Romualdez, na we will go here para makinig kami sa mga hinaing ng ating mga kababayan dito sa Zambales,” he added.

(Earlier, you saw some of the fisherfolk crying, and that is heartbreaking. That’s their livelihood. So, as Speaker Martin Romualdez, the leader of Congress, said, we have more reasons to come here to listen to the grievances of our fellow citizens here in Zambales.)

Meanwhile, Iloilo Rep. Raul “Boboy” Tupas, vice chairperson of the Committee on National Defense and Security, said the challenges faced by Zambales fishermen from the aggressions of China may require a multi-sectoral or inter-agency approach.

“Complex po ang isyu na ito, complex po ang problemang ito. Kaya kailangan po natin ng tulong ng maraming ahensya ng gobyerno. Ang pwede po nating approach na makuha dito, interagency or even multi-sectoral approach,” Tupas said.

(This issue is complex, and this problem is complex. That’s why we need the help of many government agencies. The approach we can take here could be interagency or even multi-sectoral.)

“At kanina po, lumabas sa public consultation ang maraming solusyon na iminungkahi ng local government ng Masinloc, ng provincial government ng Zambales, lalong-lalo na po ‘yung mga representante ng mga asosasyon ng mangingisda,” he added.

(And earlier, many solutions were proposed during the public consultation by the local government of Masinloc, the provincial government of Zambales, and especially by the representatives of the fisherfolk associations.)

READ: Romualdez: Support PH fisherfolk’s rights in West Philippine Sea

“Hopefully, we will be able to overcome ito pong mga obstacles at ma-convert natin into stepping stones. ‘Yan ang unang nasabi ni Speaker Martin Romualdez nung nagkaroon siya ng adjournment message. Talagang inuna niya na kailangan talaga ng national security, kailangan ng economic activity para po umasenso ang ating bansa at dumating ang tulong sa ating pong mga marginalized sectors,” he also said.

(Hopefully, we will be able to overcome these obstacles and convert them into stepping stones. That was the first thing Speaker Martin Romualdez mentioned in his adjournment message. He emphasized the need for national security and economic activity for our country to progress and for assistance to reach our marginalized sectors.)