SN ABOITIZ Power-Magat Inc. has turned over 15 fiberglass boats to fisherfolk organizations in Isabela, Ifugao and Nueva Vizcaya to promote sustainable livelihood.
The turnover was held recently at Magat Dam’s View Deck in Ramon, Isabela, the boats were the result of a fiberglass boat making training held in August by Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Region Region II.
Materials for the boats were provided by SNAP-Magat under its corporate social responsibility program.
The project aimed to train fisherfolk on the design, construction and maintenance of fiberglass fishing boats. This would enable them to develop boat-building as a skill and potential source of alternative income. The project also promotes eco-friendly practices as use of fiberglass boats will reduce dependence on wood from trees for boat materials.
Boats made of fiberglass have the advantage of withstanding the elements under heat and cold, and have corrosion-resistant properties that allow them to last for around 30 years.
The project was granted through the Magat Task Force, a multipartite advisory council responsible for sustainable aquaculture in the Magat reservoir, among others.
SNAP-Magat and BFAR Region II are members of the MTF along with BFAR-Cordillera Administrative Region and National Irrigation Administration-Dams and Reservoir Division, which also provided support to the project; National Freshwater Fisheries Technology Center; the provincial governments of Isabela and Ifugao; Community Environment and Natural Resources Office-San Isidro, provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office-Nueva Vizcaya and the Fisherfolk Sector Council.
SNAP-Magat owns and operates the 360-megawatt Magat Hydroeletric Power Plant at the border of Ifugao and Isabela. It is a joint venture of SN Power of Norway and Aboitiz Power.