PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. (PBBM) has vowed to provide continuous assistance to the families affected by the massive oil spill from the sunken MV Princess Empress.

Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) National Director Atty. Demosthenes R. Escoto said that as a response to the commitment of the President, they are now fast-tracking the delivery of fisheries livelihood interventions in Oriental Mindoro.

Escoto reported that their regional office in MIMAROPA (Mindoro/Marinduque/Romblon/Palawan) has been providing equipment, raw materials, and hands-on technical training on fish-smoking technology to fisherfolk groups primarily affected by the oil spill to help them earn amid fishing bans imposed by the provincial government.

He said that some 689 fisherfolk in Oriental Mindoro have so far benefitted from the program since its launch in March.

The participants were trained on fish-smoking processes and techniques, as well as sustainable market strategies and business practices.

Upon completion of training, the BFAR provided ten smokehouses, ten chest-type freezers, ten sets of kitchen wares, and ten sets of food processing equipment to the province.

The participants also received raw materials such as galunggong, matambaka, hasa-hasa, and tamban for training purposes that served as capital to jumpstart their new businesses.

Escoto added that the fisherfolk groups may source their raw materials through the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) KADIWA Program, in which nearby provinces like Occidental Mindoro, Antique, Iloilo, and Batangas had continuously delivered their supplies to the province even after the oil spill.

The smoked fish was sold in their respective municipalities and regional government offices such as the DA, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

To ensure the sustainability of the said livelihood interventions, the BFAR directed each municipality to submit monthly production reports.

Escoto, meanwhile, lauded the MIMAROPA regional office for their “swift response” to the oil spill situation as he emphasized BFAR’s commitment to providing relief and livelihood assistance to affected communities.

“We will continuously support our fishing communities, especially those in provinces affected by the oil spill, so they can overcome this obstacle,” he noted.

While fishing bans are still in place in the affected areas, the BFAR has recommended alternative fishing grounds to help affected municipal fisherfolk get back to their livelihoods. These are the municipal waters of Paluan, Abra de Ilog, San Jose, and Magsaysay in Occidental Mindoro, Boac and Gasan in Marinduque, and Concepcion in Romblon.

In collaboration with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the BFAR began its coordination efforts with concerned local government units to allow the affected fisherfolk of Oriental Mindoro to fish in their municipal waters.