DOLE turns over P625T grant for NegOr town fishermen

A GROUP of fishermen in Amlan town, Negros Oriental received a P625,000 grant from the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) Integrated Livelihood Program.

The Tandayag Fisherfolks Association, composed of 34 marginal fishermen, received the check from Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz in a turnover ceremony held last Monday along the coastline of barangay Tandayag in Amlan.

Virgilio Aviso, head of the Tandayag fisherfolks group, whose members both use paddle boats, said they will use the grant to purchase 25 units of motorized boats.

“Daku kaayo among kalipay kay nakadawat mi aning kantidara kay dako ni siya ug tabang sa among asosasyon (This grant is a big help to our association and we are very grateful that we have received this assistance),” said Aviso.

With the motorized boats, Aviso said they were expecting to boost their income.

The livelihood aid was also seen to help the fishermen protect the six-hectare stretch of Tandayag Marine Sanctuary which they co-manage with the municipal government.

The grant was inspired by the success of the fishermen’s association in barangay Bio-os, Amlan, which received a similar grant from DOLE.

Viven Lagahid of the DOLE provincial office said the 20 fishermen under the Bio-os fishermen’s group received a P500,000 grant in 2010 under the same DOLE program.

With the grant, Lagahid said the Bio-os fisherfolks acquired 25 motorized boats that they are now using in their livelihood.

Labor Undersecretary Lourdes Trasmonte in her speech urged the fishermen to form their association into a cooperative so they can have a legal personality and avail of other future grants.