Tuesday, April 08, 2008 Fees imposition saddles IRR for tuna handline fishing law
MORE than a year after Republic Act 9379 or the Handline Fishing Law was approved, its implementing rules and regulations (IRRs) are still being hammered, an industry leader said on Thursday.
"But the crafting of the IRR is already on its late stages after a series of consultations. Hopefully we can have the implementing rules before the holding of the annual tuna congress [in September]," said Bayani B. Fredeluces, executive director of the Socsksargen Federation of Fishing and Allied Industries Inc.
He added that the pending issue delaying the completion of the guidelines is the amount of fees that would be collected from handline fishing operators by the government.
Handline fishing uses a hook and a line as the fishing method and is described as one of the best ways to catch large tuna and marlins.
Once implemented, the law stands to benefit handline fishing operators in that they would no longer be classified as commercial fishing vessels, irregardless of the size of their fishing boats, Fredeluces said.
Handline fishing is a sector within the local tuna industry that has estimated annual value of P4.5 billion. This sector is composed of over 2,500 handline boats (locally called pump boats) and employs at least 40,000 fishermen, with an estimated annual landing of over 30,000 metric tons of high value large tuna.
Fredeluces said that fees to be collected by the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (Bfar) from the handline fishing operators are still being discussed.
The private and public stakeholders have agreed most of the guidelines, except the issue on fees, he added.
The tuna handline bill was sponsored by South Cotabato First District Representative Darlene Antonino-Custodio in the Lower House, while the Senate bill was sponsored by Senators Ramon Magsaysay, Manuel Roxas and Senate President Manuel Villar.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed it into law in March last year, and a series of consultations in the city, the center of the nation's tuna commerce, for its IRR have been conducted.
Under the draft implementing rules and regulations, the registration, inspection, manning and other documentation of handline fishing boats shall be with Marina, while the licensing and related documentation of said boats, as fishing boats, shall be with the Bfar.
Dario Lauron, chair of the Alliance of Tuna Handliners, said that in the absence of a law for handline fishing, the sector maybe on the road to "collapse," taking also into account the high oil prices and competition from Taiwanese fishers.
"Without the special law on handline fishing, we can't cope with [the] litanies of payables required by them [government]," said Lauron.
In an earlier interview, Lauron said they want to pay registration of fishing boats at P100 per ton.
Sani D. Macabalang, Bfar regional director, also said the law's implementing rules and regulations is vital to keep the handline fishing sector afloat. (BSS)
