Fishermen driven from West PH Sea want jobs

IBA, Zambales—Fishermen displaced by the territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea asked Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala to put up artificial reefs now that they were forced to abandon their fishing ventures in the Scarborough Shoal.

Larry Artagame, vice chair of the Municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council in Zambales, asked Alcala to look into the plight of the fishermen affected by the presence of Chinese Coast Guard in the shoal, known as Panatag or Bajo de Masinloc to the locals.

The shoal, about 240 kilometers southwest of this town, is a triangular chain of reefs and rocks surrounding a lagoon. It has a perimeter of 46 km and an area of 150 square kilometers, making it a rich fishing ground.

Chinese Coast Guard drove Filipino fishermen away from the shoal using water cannons on Jan. 27, 2013.

“Almost 1,200 families of fishermen have already been displaced by the tension in the West Philippines but we’re still waiting for the aid of the government,” Artagame told Alcala during a forum here on Tuesday.

Artagame said many of the displaced fishermen have resorted to “payao” (artificial reef), a fish aggregating device, to survive but most of them lack the equipment or tools.

“It would be a great help if the government, through the Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, could establish 40 payao in our province,” he said.

Alcala said BFAR personnel would return to the province in February to put up 45 artificial reefs and train fishermen on increasing their catch.

“We will arrange for the payao and I’m also going to provide you with more fishing gear,” Alcala told the fishermen.

He said BFAR personnel will help the fishermen in building fiberglass boats because these are “safer and unsinkable” compared to wooden boats.

“We will form a cooperative of local fishermen for easy facilitation of the government’s projects here,” he added.

Alcala visited this town to lead the distribution of P58 million worth of equipment, seeds, fish fingerlings and carabaos to farmers and fishermen. Allan Macatuno, Inquirer Central Luzon