DIPOLOG CITY, Feb.
5 - A variety of cocoshell handicrafts,bags, underwear, yema, bottled Spanish
sardines, bottled dried fish, and the
local delicacy “tinagaktak” were among the products displayed during the
“Livelihood People’s Organization Conference” spearheaded by the Regional
Fisheries Livelihoods Program for South and Southeast Asia (RFLP) at Mibang
Hotel here recently.
RFLP, a project
implemented by the United Nation- Food and Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO) in
coordination with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), has
been assisting people’s organizations(POs) to link with national agencies for
assistance.
Initially, the RFLP
provided the POs with skills training,
equipment, and materials “to jump-start production,” said its report.
The national
agencies and microfinance institutions extending their support to POs were the Department of Trade and Industry
(DTI), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Rural Bank
of Liloy, Banco Dipolog and others.
Joining the actity
was BFAR Regional Director Ahadulla
Sajili who vowed to continue extending assistance to the fisherfolk. “One of
the mandates of BFAR is to increase the productivity of fisherfolk,” Sajili
declared, adding that “BFAR is committed to empowering the fisherfolk by
providing livelihooh through skills development and technology transfer.”
For his part, RFLP
National Project Coordinator Virgilio Alforque said the presence of Director
Sajili was an indication of the “continuing support BFAR is giving to small
fishers in their livelihood endeavours.”
“Zamboanga del
Norte is rich in its marine resources. However, the pressure on fish stocks is
increasing, and this invariably also affects the livelihood of fishers and
their families. Every effort to assist fisher families increase their source of
income without further pressure on fish stocks is being made by our project,” Alforque
stressed.
The conference was participated in by 14 RFLP-assisted
people’s organizations.