Sunday, April 16, 2006
RP, Palau ink fishery pact
THE governments of the Philippines and Palau have agreed to sign a bilateral agreement on fishery to avoid future territorial problems due to fishing intrusions.
This came after the three-day visit here of a high-level Palau delegation led by its Chief of Staff Billy Kuartel last week.
In a meeting with top Philippine fishery officials, the Palau team discussed the long-standing concerns in both countries territorial waters because of the absence of a working fishery agreement.
Malcolm Sarmiento, Philippine Bureau of Fishery and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) national director, said that despite the existence of a ministerial-level agreement signed by the two countries a few years back, no concrete actions have been done to address the problem.
Kuartel, on the other hand, expressed willingness to enter into an agreement beneficial to both sides. This includes giving Filipino fisher folk the right to fish within Palau waters provided their organizations pay the Palau government the appropriate compensation.
For his part, Palau Senator Alfonzo Diaz who chairs the Senate committee on resources, trade and development, revealed that there are existing agreements with fisher folk organizations in Mindanao, including those based in General Santos City that allowed fishing inside Palau waters.
Diaz assured that similar agreements can be entered into by the Palau government with Davao-based fishing organizations so that they too can avail of Palau's rich fishing grounds. (PNA)
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (April 16, 2006 issue)
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