Monday, December 18, 2006 Officials approve special law for handline fishing
MEMBERS of the Senate and House of Representatives have approved recently in a bicameral conference a proposed special law for handline fishing, an industry official said.
Bayani Fredeluces, executive director of the Socsksargen Federation of Fishing and Allied Industries Inc., expressed optimism that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will sign the consolidated version of the bill into law soon.
"We hope it will become a law before the end of the year," he said, noting that Arroyo had expressed support to a special handline fishing law during a meeting with industry leaders in December last year.
Roger Lim Sr., vice chairman of the Alliance of Tuna Handliners, described the bicameral committee's endorsement of the proposed special law as a "victory of the handline tuna fishermen."
"The future of the handline tuna industry is looking bright because once the bill is signed into law by President Arroyo it eases the limitations set upon us," he said.
The alliance is composed of over 2,500 large pump boats that employ at least 40,000 fishermen, with an annual landing catch of over 30,000 metric tons of high value tuna worth P4.5 billion, industry records showed.
With a special law on handline fishing, Lim said, the handline tuna sector would eventually become a "sunshine industry" and that it will finally push the government to finally helping marginalized handline fishermen.
Lobbying for a special law on handline fishing has gained support from the US government, through its Growth with Equity in Mindanao program.
Senator Ramon Magsaysay Jr. said the approval of the bill "is an important step towards promoting competitiveness, sustainability and development of the tuna fishing industry, the bulk of which is concentrated in this city dubbed as the "Tuna Capital of the Philippines."
The House version (Handline Fishing Law or House Bill 4067) was approved earlier through the sponsorship of South Cotabato First District Representative Darlene Antonino-Custodio.
"Once the law is approved, boat captains would no longer be required to have a license," he explained.
Dario Lauron, chairman of the Alliance of Tuna Handliners, said the passage of a tuna handline law would mean a lot to the handline tuna players as it also seeks to give weight to traditional fishing practices and small fishermen by defining handline commercial fishing boat and commercial net fishing vessel. (BSS)
