The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources announced on Saturday that it is increasing its assistance to fishermen, especially those located in the disputed waters of the West Philippine Sea.

At the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City, BFAR spokesperson Nazario Briguera said they have allocated P660 million for the purchase of 66 units of 62-footer fishing vessels this year to capacitate "our Filipino fisherfolk with bigger boats.”.

“Kung mas maraming supply ang maibaba natin sa mga pamilihan, posible na mas bababa pa ang presyo ng mga isda sa palengke,” he said.

At least 10 of this big fishing boats will be distributed to fishing cooperatives operating in the West Philippine Sea, the BFAR official said.

A separate P80 million is allocated for the purchase and distribution of fishing paraphernalia and post harvest equipment for Filipino fishers.

"We are confident that if there is really the presence of the government and the fisherfolk are observing that they are being supported, mas lalakas po ang kanilang morale na mangisda (their morale will be boosted),"

"We are seeing that the production in the West Philippine Sea will improve,"Briguera added.

This is also in line with the government efforts on rotational deployment of vessels at the Bajo de Masinloc—a traditional, rich fishing ground for Filipino fisherfolks.

Briguera said there are 385,300 fishers in the WPS. The territorial waters account for 275,520 metric tons of fisheries production, equivalent to 6 percent to 7 percent of the whole fisheries sector.

Apart from being a source of fisheries, Briguera noted that intensifying government presence at the Bajo de Masinloc would also highlight the "importance of sustaining the integrity of marine resources."

Improving the supply of fisheries from the WPS, according to Briguera,would eventually translate to lower prices of the food commodity in the market.

"Kung mas maraming supply, napakaposible na mas bababa pa ang presyo ng isda sa ating mga palengke (If we have more supply, it is very possible that the prices of fish would go down in the market)," Briguera said.

However, the BFAR official also noted that parts of the resource-rich lagoon has been destroyed because of cyanide fishing intentionally done by Chinese fishermen.

Briguera said the use of cyanide "compromises the marine integrity, not only of the Philippines but also other countries." And he damage caused by China on corals reached "billions of pesos" already.

Philippine Coast Guards spokesperson for WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela on the other end said that the deploying vessels at the traditional fishing ground off the coast of Zambales was not meant to "provoke anybody" or "escalate tension."

Tarriela said that the presence of government vessels "will see to it that Filipino fishermen will be able to continue to fish in the area to support our food security.