General Santos City — The local government here has launched the 25th Tuna Festival 2023 — an annual event dedicated to honor the tuna industry of the city that will once again showcase the bounty of the seas and give vast opportunities in the fishing sector of the city.
This year's theme, Adapting Strategies Responsive to Global Change," will focus more on gathering innovative ideas, generate tangible solutions that will have a lasting positive impact on the future of tuna fishing.
The SOCCSKSARGEN Federation of Fishing and Allied Industries Inc. — which organized the event — aimed to address the dwindling situation of the fishing industry particularly the tuna production of the city being dubbed as the "Tuna Capital of the Philippines."
SAFFII will also hold the Tuna Congress 2023 together with different stakeholders to obtain possible long-term solution to the fishing sector.
To recall, former Sarangani province Governor Miguel Rene Dominguez even disclosed to the Sangguniang Panlungsod that the fishing in the city is already a sunset industry.
This year's festival has earmarked at least P9 million as funds for the duration of the activities that will culminate on 5 September 2023.
General Santos City Mayor Lorelie Pacquiao said that the city will be fully supporting the tuna industry especially the small fisherfolks that are greatly affected with the problems haunting the sector.
"We will give utmost importance to the small fishermen who are greatly affected. Our city shall never cease to find solution for the betterment of the industry," Pacquiao said.
Activities are already prepared and will be mostly happening at the General Santos City Fishport Complex. The Fish Fest and the heaviest catch tuna will be among the highlights of the activities. The volume of caught tuna suffered when Indonesia no longer continued the bilateral agreement with the Philippines.