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Friday, March 29, 2024

Poe says 2-m fishing families need govt help

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PRESIDENTIAL candidate Grace Poe said Sunday the next administration should help close to two-million fishermen and their families get out of poverty although the Philippines is 7th among the top fish-producing countries in the world.

Poe said the country produces 4.7-million metric tons of fish each year, contributing 2.46 percent of the total world production. It is also the world’s third-largest producer of aquatic plants including seaweeds, harvesting 1.56 million metric tons a year and contributing 5.78 percent of the total world production.

But she said the farmers were not getting the benefits of economic growth.

Rally. Presidential candidate Grace Poe greets a crowd during a rally in Bagong Silang, Caloocan City. She is escorted by Recom Echiverri who is running for mayor of the city. 

Poe, the leading presidential candidate based on the surveys, said she would push for the inclusion of more fishermen and their families to the government’s Conditional Cash Transfer program or dole to the poor, increase their membership in the National Health Insurance Program, and provide them with sustainable livelihood opportunities with the help of local government units and the private sector.

She called on the University of the Philippines  and other state universities to help improve access to fisheries education by opening additional courses and offering scholarships to the fishermen and their children.

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“It is ironic that in an archipelagic country where fishing communities dominate all islands, people are so poor and are unable to get essential government services,” Poe said.

“My platform of inclusive growth and my promise that the poor must not be left behind makes the plight of our fishing communities a centerpiece concern of my presidential campaign.

Earlier, Poe said that under her administration, P300 billion would be set aside from the national budget every year for the agriculture sector, which includes the fisheries sector.

Alongside basic services for the fishermen, she said, government resources should also be used to  educate the coastal communities on the practice of sustainable fishing to help them adapt to climate change.

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