Over 900 Antique fisherfolk receive PHP 20-million livelihood aid

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By Mariela Angella Oladive

A total of 909 municipal fisherfolk across the province of Antique received PHP 20 million worth of fisheries livelihood assistance during a recent turnover ceremony.

The support was provided under the Priority Fisheries Livelihood Projects funded through the initiative of Sen. Loren Legarda and Rep. Antonio Agapito Legarda.

The projects were implemented by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) through its National Marine Fisheries Development Center, BFAR Regional Office 6 and the Provincial Fisheries Office-Antique, in partnership with the Provincial Government of Antique.

The assistance package included 90 fiberglass fishing boats, eight patrol boats and 909 sets of fishing gear aimed at improving the productivity and safety of municipal fishers.

BFAR-6 Regional Director Remia A. Aparri said the agency’s support for the province extends beyond the distribution of boats and gear, noting that BFAR also provides resource assessment, capability building, enforcement support, post-harvest facility improvement and marketing assistance.

She stressed that increased fish production should be matched with responsible management to ensure the protection of marine resources.

The eight patrol boats were turned over to the municipalities of Anini-y, Pandan, Culasi, Tobias Fornier, Laua-an, Tibiao and Patnongon, as well as to the Provincial Bantay Dagat Task Force to strengthen coastal monitoring and enforcement.

Rep. Legarda, in his message, said the PHP 20 million allocation was the largest received in Western Visayas under the program and added that an additional PHP 50 million has been earmarked for 2026.

Of the 90 fiberglass boats distributed, beneficiaries were from Anini-y (10 units), Barbaza (15), Culasi (five), Hamtic (10), Pandan (three), Patnongon (five), San Jose (20), Sebaste (10) and Tibiao (four).

Meanwhile, fishing gear assistance — including fry dozers, tuna longlines and multiple hook-and-line sets — benefited fisherfolk groups in Barbaza, Belison, Bugasong, Culasi, Hamtic, Libertad, San Jose, Sebaste, Tibiao, Patnongon, Laua-an, Tobias Fornier, Pandan and Anini-y, covering 15 coastal municipalities in Antique.

During the ceremony, San Jose Vice Mayor Cris John P. Banusing II recognized the contribution of fisherfolk to local communities and announced that the municipal government plans to exempt registered fisherfolk from municipal registration fees from 2026 to 2028 to encourage greater participation in fisheries management initiatives.

Sangguniang Panlalawigan Member and Agriculture and Fisheries Committee Chair Fernando Corvera also highlighted the need to strengthen fisheries infrastructure in the province, including the establishment of cold storage and ice plants to help stabilize fish supply and prices.

Also present during the turnover were National Marine Fisheries Development Center Officer-in-Charge Rhoda S. Bacordo, Provincial Fisheries Office-Antique OIC Rowena E. Langga and Provincial FARMC Representative Jehro S. Labrador, among others.

The distribution forms part of ongoing efforts to support coastal livelihoods and promote sustainable fisheries management in Antique. The province, which faces the Sulu Sea along its western coast, is home to thousands of municipal fisherfolk who depend on small-scale fishing for their livelihood. Municipal fishers — those operating within 15 kilometers of the shoreline using boats of three gross tons or less — account for the majority of the country’s fishing workforce and are among the poorest sectors in the Philippines, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.