LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu—The Lapu-Lapu City Government and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Central Visayas (BFAR-7) have turned over on Wednesday afternoon, February 23, 2022, 11 pump boats made from fiberglass to different fisherfolk organizations in the city.
Alex Baring, head of the Lapu-Lapu City Fisheries and Agriculture Office, said that each pump boat is worth P48,000.
Each set consists of a fiberglass pump boat and an engine.
“Kining atong mga pump boat dinhi, part na gyud ni siya sa programa sa mayor para sa pag-alleviate sa atoang mga gagmay nga mananagat kay usa sila sa sector nga tabangunon gyud,” Baring said.
(These pump boats are part of the program of the mayor to alleviate [the burden] of our fishermen because they are one sector that really need help.)
The said pump boats were distributed to fisherfolk organizations in Barangays Mactan and Marigondon.
Baring, however, admitted that since they cannot provide pump boats to all fisherfolk in the city, they will cluster them and make a schedule so that each fisherman would have the opportunity to utilize them.
Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan, for his part, said that the distribution of the pump boats was timely, especially since fisherfolk in the city were affected by the devastation of super typhoon Odette in December 2021.
Chan said that some pump boats owned by fisherfolk were destroyed by the typhoon.
“Kini maoy atong gitutukan pag-ayo karon as one of the livelihood sa atong city because we are an island. So if we can give more, more, the better,” Chan said.
(This is what we are focusing on as one of the livelihood of the city because we are an island. So if we can give more, more, the better.)
Chan is hoping other organizations will also donate pump boats to fishermen in the city.
/bmjo
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