Finally, a fish port in Dagupan
SIXTY-six years after it became a city and known for its tasty bangus, Dagupan will finally soon have its own modern and large fish port that is expected to dramatically improve the aquaculture industry not just in the city but in the entire province of Pangasinan as well.
Pangasinan 4th District Rep. Gina de Venecia announced that her House Bill 4445 that seeks the establishment of a fish port in Dagupan was approved without amendment by the Senate last Thursday.
De Venecia said a fish port in Dagupan is necessary not just to boost the fish industry but also the city’s status as the commercial hub of Pangasinan.
“For centuries, Dagupan has been known as a regional market center. However, most iconic is its image as the ‘bangus capital of the country’. The city is famous nationally and internationally because of its home grown products like the seafood and the Bonuan bangus,” De Venecia said.
Now that the fish port proposal has been approved in both chambers, De Venecia sees a boom in international seafood export industry for Dagupan.
“With the presence of both the fish port and the already existing seafood processing facility, the export of local fish to international markets will be greater than before,” she said.
In 2010, the Dagupan Seafood Processing Plant was established, without cost to the Philippine government, through the joint efforts of the Department of Agriculture and the South Korean Government through the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KIOCA) and De Venecia’s husband, former Speaker Joe de Venecia.
Rep. De Venecia pointed out that presently there is difficulty in transporting the fish harvest to the processing facility.
“The processing plant has the capacity to stock 20 tons of fish per day and store 150 metric tons of processed products, while its quick-freezing facility has the capacity to accommodate four tons of processed fish,” she said noting that transporting the fish is difficult and costly without a port within Dagupan.
The fish port will be funded and operated by the Department of Agriculture (DA), through the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA).
De Venecia’s bill was sponsored in the Senate by Senator Ramon Revilla Jr., chairman of the Committee on Public Works, and Senator Franklin Drilon, head of the Committee on Finance.
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