A DUTERTE-Cayetano administration will propose the creation of the Department of Fisheries in order that the growing needs of fish farmers can be addressed and given more attention by government.

Vice presidential candidate and Senate Majority Leader Alan Cayetano who was in Dagupan City last week for a consultation with fisher folks said they will push for the creation of Department of Fisheries, separate from the Department of Agriculture to give fishery sector in the country a more focused attention.

A running-mate of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, Mr. Cayetano lamented that fishermen have become “third-class citizens” under the Department of Agriculture (DA) and believes it is time that a Department of Fisheries be created instead of simply being just one of the concerns of DA.

“The system is not working,” the senator intoned.

Reacting to the remarks of Eduardo Maramba, national president of the Philippine Fishery Producers Association that fishery is now dying in the Philippines because of its many complex problems that had remained unresolved to this day, Mr. Cayetano believes the creation of a Department of Fisheries has become even more imperative to revitalize the fishery industry.

“That has been our call for a long time and I hope that would push through,” Maramba said.

The senator said DA has too many concerns, principally land-based farming and livestock.

A case in point, he said, is the appointment of municipal agricultural officers whose qualifications and expertise are mostly on agriculture, not fishery.

“It is just normal for these MAOs to focus on farming because that is their specialty, but seldom are fishery graduates appointed as MAOs in coastline communities,” he noted.

He said the fishery sector has distinct problems and issues apart from land-based farming and cited situation where fishermen from Dagupan seeking help from DA in Quezon City have to line up along with rice, corn and vegetable farmers, livestock raisers and coconut planters before their concerns can be addressed.

But with a Department of Fisheries, he said, it’d be easier for government to download the assistance exclusively to fish farmers.

Mr. Cayetano also discussed the creation of a “people’s bank” to facilitate capital lending.

“One of the fishermen’s main problems is the lack of capital to put up more facilities in order to respond to this demand,” Cayetano said.

Cayetano said he plans to make access to capital easier, and payment of loans more flexible. He plans to do this by establishing a public bank to provide loans specifically for small entrepreneurs. (Leonardo Micua/Tita Roces)

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