Press Release
May 17, 2017

PANGILINAN LAUDS PH COMMITMENT TO PROTECT THE OCEANS, URGES GOVT TO BOLSTER SUPPORT FOR FISHERS

MANILA - Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan on Wednesday urged the government to boost its support for Filipino fishermen after the Philippines set its voluntary commitments to protect and conserve the oceans during the Philippine Ocean Conference in Cebu City on May 16-17.

The conference is in response to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14: Life Below Water which aims to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development.

"Natutuwa po tayo sa paglahok ng Pilipinas sa pagtupad ng SDG 14 sa pangunguna ng Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) at ng Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources ng Department of Agriculture (DA-BFAR) (We laud the efforts of the government, led by the DENR and the DA-BFAR, to achieve SDG 14)," Pangilinan said.

"Napapanahon po ito sapagkat isang malaki at matagalang responsibilidad ang pagprotekta sa ating mga yamang-dagat, lalo na at tayo ay isang aquaculture superpower. Marami rin po sa ating mga kababayan ang umaasa sa dagat para sa kanilang kabuhayan (This is very timely because it is a long-term commitment to sustainable protect our waters, especially since the Philippines is considered an aquaculture superpower. Many Filipinos also rely on the ocean for their livelihood)," he added.

According to DA-BFAR, 15% of agricultural workers rely on the sea for their livelihood. The Philippines is home to more than 1.73 million fishermen, whose poverty incidence is highest in the agriculture sector at 43.2%.

"Kasabay ng pagprotekta natin sa ating mga yamang dagat, kailangan din nating bigyan ng proteksyon ang ating mga mangingisda upang makaahon sila sa kahirapan (In line with protecting our oceans, it is also necessary to protect our fishermen so that they may be able to rise out of poverty)," Pangilinan said.

"Ang pagprotekta sa sektor ng pangingisda ay pagproktekta rin sa ating mga sarili dahil sa kanilang mahalagang papel sa ating food security at pag-unlad ng sektor ng agrikultura (Protecting fishermen and our oceans also mean protecting ourselves because they play a vital role in achieving food security and the improvement of the agriculture sector)," he added.

Pangilinan is former chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food and has filed a bill aiming for the creation of a Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to strategically develop and utilize the country's marine resources and alleviate poverty in coastal areas.

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