UPANG matiyak ang sustainability ng marine products supply ng bansa, hiniling kahapon ni Sen. Cynthia A. Villar ang Senate approval ng tatlong house bills na nagrerekomenda sa pagpapatayo ng tatlong Marine Multi – species hatcheries.

Sa kanyang sponsorship speech, sinabi ni Villar, chairperson ng Senate committee on agriculture and food, na itatayo ang hatcheries sa Libon, Albay, sa City Environmental Estate, Barangay Santa Lucia, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan at sa Batad, Iloilo.

Nakapaloob sa mga sumusunod ang panukalang hatcheries na dapat pondohan:
1-Committee Report No. 290 o House Bill No. 7435 (An Act Establishing a Central Multi-Species Marine Hatchery in the Municipality of Libon, Province of Albay).

Sa loob ng dalawang taon matapos ang construction ng Albay hatchery, ililipat ng BFAR ang management ng Central Multi-Species Hatchery sa Libon local government sa ilalim ng Memorandum of Agreement (MOa).

2. Committee Report 29 o House Bill 7544 (An Act Establishing A Central Multi-Species Marine Hatchery sa City Environmental Estate sa Barangay Santa Lucia, City of Puerto Princesa, Province of Palawan).

Itatayo ang multi-marine species Palawan hatchery sa pamamahala ng BFAR ng Department of Agriculture.Sa ilalim ng MOA ililipat din ito sa pangangasiwa ng concerned LGU and sa Western Philippine University (WPU) sa loob ng limang taon matapos magawa.

3. Ang Committee Report 292 ay para sa pagtatayo ng satellite Multi Species Marine Hatchery sa munisipalidad ng Batad, Iloilo.

“This bill proposes that within 3 years after the establishment of the satellite multi-specie hatchery, the management shall be transferred to the Northern Iloilo Polytechnic State College (NIPSC) through a MOA,” ani Villar.

Sa pagsusulong ng approval ng hatcheries, binanggit ni Villar ang mahalagang ambag ng fisheries sa national economy base sa income at employment.

Noong 2018, sinabi ni Villar na umabot ang ating total fish production sa 4.61 million metric tons. Nakapagbigay ang fisheries sector ng 4.9 billion US dollars sa ating ekonomiya noong 2018. (SEAFDEC, 2018).

“However, compared to our South East Asian neighbors, we are only Number four (4) in Marine Capture after Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar. We are also number five (5) in our inland (municipal waters) fisheries output compared to Myanmar, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam ; and Number three (3) with regards to Aquaculture production, after Indonesia and Vietnam,” sabi pa Villar.

Binigyan diin din ni Villar na ang ating estimated requirement sa fish fry ay 3.5 billion kada taon at “we can only supply from local production 2.5 billion a year.”

“In this age where competitiveness is the key for our local industries, we cannot remain dependent from outside sources for our production inputs. Every agricultural industry should have a global perspective,” dagdag pa niya Villar. (ESTONG REYES)