Agriculture cited for protecting Visayan seas
The Banate Bay Resource Management Council, Inc. (BBRMCI), overseer of Panay Island’s largest fishing ground called Banate Bay, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have cited the Department of Agriculture (DA) for preserving and protecting the Visayan seas.
BBRMCI awarded the citation in a brief ceremony at the Iloilo Grand Hotel, along with other government agencies, fisher folks and local government unit-partners
Ric Saltin, Regional Crop Protection Center chief, representing the DA during the event, said the citation was a testament to DA’s unwavering support and programs in protecting the livelihood of fisher folks in the region.
Saltin said the DA had been the lead agency in various livelihood programs intended for fisher folks in Banate Bay Area and other municipalities in the region.
He also said that the DA had been providing technical and financial assistance to fisher folk organizations as well as trainings.
DA regional director Larry Nacionales said the department’s mandate included the protection of the marine ecology and providing alternative source of income for fisher folks in the region like in the Banate Bay area.
Also cited for their successful collaboration were the offices of the Municipal Agriculture Office of the municipalities of Anilao, Banate and Barotac Viejo.
Barotac Viejo Mayor Raul C. Tupas said the municipalities along the Banate Bay had been very active in their role to protect their fishing grounds from illegal and dynamite fishing.
Tupas also said that the municipal agriculture office had been instrumental in pursuing initiatives intended for the protection of marine biodiversity. (PNA)
