Fishing boats for city’s fisherfolk

THE Department of Agriculture is set to hand over 300 motorized fishing bancas to fisherfolk in Davao City.

DA Sec. Emmanuel Piñol said the agency will turn over the motorized banca with a complete set of fishing tools in time for the celebration of the 31st Kadayawan sa Dabaw slated on August 15 to 21.

Piñol and Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio have already discussed the plan.

In an interview, the Davao City Information Office yesterday said the DA secretary has assured the project will improve the lives of the families of fishermen in the city.

Piñol said the scheme would be to give two families one banca, noting that this will ensure that the beneficiaries will also share the responsibility of taking care of the fishing boat.

“We are targeting 600 poorest families as beneficiaries of the project,” he said. “This is one of our interventions to address the poverty experienced by the fishery sector.”

The fishing boat, which is made of fiberglass and with the complete set of fishing equipment, costs P70,000 each.

Piñol said the city government is tasked to identify project beneficiaries.