President Ferdinand R. Marcos on Saturday directed the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to sit down with local chief executives (LCEs) of the alternative fishing grounds to allow displaced fisherfolk in Oriental Mindoro to fish in their waters.
During a situation briefing with the different national government agency heads and local chief executives in Pola town, Oriental Mindoro, the President instructed DILG Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. to schedule a dialogue with the local officials of the four fishing sites within the Calabarzon and Mimaropa regions that could be tapped by the affected fishermen.
The four alternative fishing sites in Regions 4-A and 4-B include Mindoro Strait in Mindoro Oriental; Cuyo Pass in Batangas; Tablas Strait in Romblon and Tayabas Bay in Quezon.
Calabarzon (Region 4-A) is composed of the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon while Mimaropa (Region 4-B) is composed of the provinces of Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan.
The chief executive also assured that the national government, through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), attached agency of the Department of Agriculture (DA), and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), will continue monitoring the situation on the ground.
“DENR will continue to monitor the situation. BFAR will continue to monitor the situation. As soon as maging — ma-clear na, makabalik na tayo sa dating normal, back to the old normal, papunta na sa new normal,” the President pointed out.
President Marcos said the clean-up operations of the oil spill, led by the Philippine Coast Guard, will continue as the national and local government units (LGUs) proceed to the next stage, which is recovery of the economic activity in the area.
“The immediate danger, the immediate situation has already been attended to. At kailangan na ngayon ay tama naman ‘yung sinasabi ninyo, take advantage na tayo. Lagyan nga natin ng bagong water system, bagong livelihood na pwedeng gawin,” the President said.
“At pagka dumating ang araw na okay na, na pwedeng gamitin ‘yung — pwedeng mangisda, pwede ng bumalik ‘yung mga mangingisda, pero may bagong livelihood na ginagawa,” President Marcos noted, adding that all the livelihood program is contained in the five-year recovery plan, prepared by the local chief executives in the affected area of the oil spill.#
