SUAL— Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol turned over Thursday 70 motorized fishing boats to fishermen in Pangasinan and La Union in a ceremony here.

Piñol said he is determined his promise to deliver the 700 units he committed to give.

Each motorized of the fiber-glass made fishing boats costs P70,000 with complete fishing gear.

“But you have to stop engaging in illegal fishing,” he told the recipients even as he noted that some of them used to be engaged in the prohibited buli-buli.

He said he supports the campaign against illegal fishing.

Diosdado Colon, 48, resident of Dagupan City and one of the recipients, said he has been fishing for 30 years and it was his first time to receive a fishing facility from the government.

He said he used to be a boat captain of bulibuli, said it’s been four months since he fished offshore since the ban on bulibuli was enforced.

“Thank you for this (fishing boat) given me,” Colon said. He said three others who are his relatives will operate the fishing boat.

Rudy Palanas, 47, from Poblacion, Sual town, said he has also been fishing for 30 years without owning his own fishing boat.

“We used to operate bulibuli but when it was banned we have nothing to do and only picked up seashells and sold them,” Palanas said.

The beneficiaries were unanimous in their sentiment the new fishing boats from the government will boost source of livelihood. (Tita Roces)

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