VM Belen defends fish plant’s transfer to BFAR
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VICE Mayor Belen Fernandez has defended a resolution of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) asking Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr. to transfer the administrative control of the Seafood Processing Plant from the city government to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
The re-elected vice mayor, who sits as chair of the SP by law, stressed that the resolution was in no way political and is intended for the best interest of the city.
The move was met with protest by allies of incoming Mayor Benjamin Lim who believe that the resolution was aimed at preventing the latter from exercising control over the project.
Councilor Alfredo Quinto Sr., principal author of the resolution, said while the city government would like to manage the plant, it does not have the manpower and resources to do so at the moment.
The move was supported by the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), which funded the project, agreed that that NIFTDC Director Westly Rosario be appointed the interim manager of the plant.
Fernandez, in a talk to newsmen on May 31, reiterated that the city council believes that the BFAR, through its National Integrated Fisheries Technology Development Center (NIFTDC), is in the best position and capacity to run and manage the seafood processing plant, which is due to open in August.
She added that this means the city will be spared from producing the seed money for the plant’s initial operations.
The plant will revert back to the city after five years with the necessary technology transfer from BFAR.
“What the BFAR will actually do is merely to show to the people of Dagupan how to run and manage a fish processing plant and after that, it will be the city that will operate it on its own,” she added.
“We have to hand over the project to the one who really knows how to run the plant,” said Fernandez.—LM
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