Senate panel notes backlog in building marine hatcheries

THE SENATE committee on agriculture has asked members of the House of Representatives to monitor the construction of marine hatcheries in their constituencies, amid a backlog in such projects and as bills for more hatcheries pile up in the legislature.

Senator Cynthia A. Villar, who chairs the Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform committee, said at a hearing that the backlog amounts to 37 projects dating back to 2016, all of them authorized by laws passed by Congress.

She said the Senate, sitting in plenary, is evaluating three more projects, while 11 are currently in committee.

“Our work would be a waste if we keep passing these bills and none of them is implemented,” Ms. Villar said at the hearing.

If the backlog is addressed and the pending bills are implemented, she said nearly all provinces will have hatcheries, which would be “a big deal for fishing.”

Ms. Villar told members of the House to check on the status of pending projects in their districts with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR). She cited agency estimates on the cost of a hatchery of about P20 million and the need for each local government unit to donate a site for the project.

“These bills will help resolve overfishing and dwindling fish catch of small fisherfolk, since they will be given priority access to their own town’s marine resources and new technologies including the processing and preservation of the fish catch,” she said.

BFAR National Director Eduardo B. Gongona said that of the backlog of 37, five have been completed or are in the process of being built, while 25 will be finished before the end of May. The remaining seven are due for completion by year’s end.

“It’s not enough to pass the bill into law,” said Ms. Villar, “it’s very important that it should be implemented.”—