To maximize agri-fishery machinery amid rising fuel prices, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources is set to distribute a P42.48 million fuel subsidy to more than 14,162 fisherfolk in the Eastern Visayas this year.

On Monday, BFAR regional information officer Christine Gresola said that the number of farmer beneficiaries under the second tranche of the fuel subsidy program is 5,729 higher compared to recipients of the financial assistance last year.

“This is to cushion the impact of the ongoing economic challenge causing a continuous spike in fuel prices, affecting the fishing routine of our fishermen, and disturbing the price trend of selected fishery commodities,” she said.

A fuel subsidy card worth P3,000 will be given to each recipient.

Fishermen, who did not receive it last year, were urged by BFAR to visit their agriculture offices to verify if they are registered with the boat registry system and the Registry System for the Basic Sectors in Agriculture, a database for agricultural workers that serves as a targeting mechanism for the identification of beneficiaries for different agriculture-related programs and services of the government.

Besides the distribution of fuel subsidies, other local government units in the country provide farming inputs, including fertilizers, micronutrients, and hybrid seeds, to the farmers to enhance their resilience in times of calamities, especially with the onslaught of El Niño, which according to most global climate models suggest will "likely persist" until May, with a transition to El Niño and the Southern Oscillation-neutral June this year.