On Monday, Aug. 17, Barangay Japitan Captain Ace Lino Ricaplaza urgently requested funds from Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro to rebuild Barili's severely damaged fish port.
The structure, deteriorating since the 1980s and further broken by Typhoon Odette in 2021, poses daily physical hazards to local fishermen and fish sellers.
Following an inspection by Provincial Agriculture Consultant Gigi Sanchez, the village is awaiting formal engineering plans and cost estimates from the Provincial Engineering Office.
DECADES of storm damage have left the Japitan Fish Port in Barili so badly broken that local fishermen face daily danger of injury just unloading their daily catch.
Barangay Japitan Captain Ace Lino Ricaplaza made an urgent appeal to Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro on Monday, Aug. 17, requesting provincial funds to rebuild the crumbling Japitan Fish Port.
Ricaplaza approached Governor Baricuatro during the "Serbisyo Caravan" in Pinamungajan to ask for immediate assistance for his coastal community.
“Unya, nagpasalamat sad ko sa atong bag-ong gobernador, kay murag duna'y kahayag ba. So, pasalamat gyud ko, kay mao gyud na'y among pangandoy,” Ricaplaza said.
(“And I am thankful to our new governor because there seems to be hope. So I am really grateful, because that has always been our dream.”)
The port's severe structural damage began with Typhoons Nitang and Ruping in the 1980s. Without proper repairs over the years, the structure deteriorated until Typhoon Odette hit in 2021, breaking off roughly 15 meters of the pier structure entirely.
Proposed repair budgets discussed by previous local leaders rose from P10 million in the 1990s to P20 million over time, but actual construction work never took place.
Dangerous working conditions for fisherfolk
The broken pier creates immediate physical hazards for the entire coastal village, where most families rely on fishing to survive.
Returning fishermen risk injury navigating the damaged structure to bring their boats alongside the pier. Local fish sellers, known as labasera, also struggle to safely reach the vessels to transport fish ashore for market.
Ricaplaza emphasized that repairing the port is essential because fishing is the village's primary source of income and food security.
Barangay leaders have submitted a formal resolution to the Cebu Provincial Government asking for full reconstruction support.
Following initial discussions with Governor Baricuatro, Provincial Agriculture Consultant Gigi Sanchez joined an inspection team to assess the structural damage firsthand.
The village is currently awaiting formal engineering plans and cost estimates from the Provincial Engineering Office. Rebuilding the port will ensure local fisherfolk can harvest the sea without putting their safety at risk every day.