FISHERIES-RELATED projects amounting to P1 million await the Liloan Municipal Government for winning second place in the 2018 search for the Most Outstanding Coastal Community in Central Visayas.
The pronouncement was made by Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) 7 officer-in-charge Alfeo Piloton in a letter addressed to Mayor Christina Frasco on March 18.
“In view of this, kindly make the necessary coordination with our Provincial Fishery Office-Cebu for the type of project that will be implemented/established,” a portion of the letter read.
Frasco, for her part, welcomed the development.
She also uploaded a photo of the letter on her Facebook account on Monday, April 15.
“I thank our hardworking team under the Municipal Agriculture Office headed by Sir Ireneo Noval, our Bantay Dagat Personnel and Task Force, our Menro (Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office) headed by Sir Roland Tabuñag, our local government officials and the members of our fisherfolk community and fellow Liloanons for their efforts in ensuring maritime conservation!” said Frasco in her social media post.
Located approximately 22.5 kilometers from Cebu City, the northern town of Liloan is home to nearly 120,000 people.
Of its 14 barangays, coastal communities are located in Barangays Poblacion, Jubay, Cotcot, Calero, Catarman and in some portions of Tayud.
In a text message to SunStar Cebu on Tuesday afternoon, April 16, Frasco said the municipal government will extend livelihood assistance to fisherfolk communities by providing them with new fishing boats, nets and tools.
More patrol boats and gears will be given to the local Bantay Dagat personnel to ensure that the protection and conservation of coastal resources would continue.
“We will continue our Liloan Cares program, which is a multi-sectoral, year-round series of activities led by the LGU (local government unit) for the community to engage in environment sustainability and coastal resources conservation such as planting of mangroves and coastal cleanup, prohibiting the use of plastic, etc. We are also strictly implementing our Environment Code and Municipal Ordinances on protected waters against violators/polluters and we have a working task force for this purpose,” Frasco said.
Through its Malinis and Masaganang Karagatan program, BFAR recognizes the efforts of coastal municipalities in protecting and conserving marine resources.
The program has four general criteria, which includes the absence of illegal fishing and observance of fishing closed season; establishment of protected marine sanctuary; clean coastal waters without domestic and industrial wastes; effective mangrove protection and rehabilitation program.
A national technical search committee was created to evaluate candidates based on the criteria.