TACLOBAN CITY — The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources has allocated P58.4 million for the livelihood projects of fisherfolk in the poorest municipalities in Eastern Visayas for this year.

BFAR regional information officer Christine Gresola said the livelihood project, which targets marginalized fisherfolk from fifth and sixth-income class municipalities in the region, will be implemented under the second phase of Special Area for Agricultural Development.

Gresola added that the selection of qualified municipalities will be based on the latest income classification of the Department of Finance, the 2018 Poverty Incidence Report of the Philippine Statistics Authority and the Mandanas ruling.

She also stressed that the full implementation is divided into three components — social preparation, food production and livelihood, and program management and from the total budget, P4 million will be used in the social preparation such as profiling, needs assessment, group formation and capacity-building.

The bulk of the budget — which is P47.5 million — is earmarked for food production and livelihood packages including specialized training for the beneficiaries of the project.

“This project aims to enhance food security of our marginalized fisherfolk by empowering them,” said Gresola, adding that the BFAR-8 also allocated P6.9-million for program management.

Gresola also said that the SAAD Phase II will focus on developmental and sustainable initiatives supporting Aquaculture Production, Capture Fisheries Development, and Post-Harvest Development “to ensure the attainment of holistic transformation as envisioned by the Bureau for its project beneficiaries.”

“We are optimistic that through this project, the region’s fisheries industry will be strengthened and our marginalized fisherfolk communities will be empowered and transformed into thriving aquapreneurs,” Gresola said.