Ferdinand Marcos Jr., President of the Philippines, has ordered the construction of fish ports in 11 coastal provinces to address challenges faced by fisherfolk, Malacañang said Tuesday.
Marcos issued the directive during his meeting with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) which tackled the challenges of fish supply and demand.
Presidential Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil said the President’s order will “capacitate and empower fisherfolks towards resiliency, decrease post-harvest losses through upgrading/fixing/construction of cold storage facilities in fish posts across the country.”
The President also directed the concerned government agencies to provide small-scale fisherfolks with ice-making machines and other equipment as well as intensive training.
He also ordered the rehabilitation of 20 identified municipal fish ports tagged as traditional landing ports.