 |
| ~ sample photo only ~ |
ILLEGAL fishing is always tempting.
For a fisherman who has had rough times with a growing
family and debts, blast and fine meshed nets fishing can be the solution that
even sparks hope for a brighter future.
It smells smack of a Cinderella story – another
rags-to-riches episode that sadly, however, is not sustainable. It is
short-lived and immediately snuffs out that spark of hope even before it
ignites.
Rep. Erico Aristotle Aumentado of Bohol’s 2nd District decided
to make the difference for the fishermen among his constituents.
“Unless one is born with the proverbial golden spoon in the
mouth, today’s high cost of living can be intimidating,” Aumentado said.
To wean the fishermen from thoughts of – and getting a crack
at – the high risk path to “getting rich quick” by engaging in illegal fishing,
the solon tapped the resources of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)
for project proposal preparation trainings and funding for alternative
livelihood for them.
These past two weeks, he has been island-hopping in Bien
Unido town to provide funds to the fishermen and women’s groups according to
the projects they proposed.
Implementing fishery laws is the province of the executive
department but providing funding and technical assistance can very well be done
by the legislative department, he explained.
The projects range from pumpboats and fishing nets to
replace those washed away by supertyphoon Yolanda, seaweeds or guso planting,
planting materials and fertilizers for the farmers in the islands and even
livestock or goat and native chicken dispersal with incubator for the eggs so
that the chickens can lay eggs continuously for the women’s groups.
This way, the solon said, the fishermen can continue fishing
using legal methods, augment their income with the seaweeds and the goat and
chickens plus eggs for sale and consumption.
He said he will also replicate best practices of these
beneficiaries to counterparts in the islands of other towns as well as the
mainland within the district. --- END
Links:
No comments:
Post a Comment