A PARTY-LIST lawmaker has filed a bill seeking to grant municipal fishermen a P1,000 monthly fuel subsidy.
Under Rep. Wilbert Lee’s (PL, Agri) House Bill No. 8007 or the “Pantawid Pambangka Act of 2023,” fishermen are entitled to a monthly fuel voucher not lower than P1,000.
The measure mandates the Department of Agriculture to administer the monthly subsidy program, with the amount to be revised every year to account for inflation.
“Despite the fishing sector’s major contribution, our fishermen continue to be among the fundamental sectors’ poorest people. It’s unjust that the ones who produce food are left behind,” Lee said.
Those covered by the bill are fishermen who fish within municipal waters, whether coastal or inland, and who use motorized fishing vessels of three (3) gross tons or less: provided that they are registered under the National Program for Municipal Fisherfolk Registration of the BFAR.
If passed into law, beneficiaries of the program will be automatically enrolled and covered under the National Health Insurance program of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
The Social Security System (SSS) shall also provide microinsurance mechanisms to beneficiaries.
The equivalent of 10 percent of any increase in the collections in the excise tax on fuel shall be earmarked for the implementation of the measure, which shall be indicated as a separate line item under the annual appropriations of the DA under the General Appropriations Act (GAA).
“This financial assistance will be a big help for our fishermen. Through this incentive, we don’t only show that we value their important contribution, we also help them increase their production and income which all of us will benefit from,” Lee said.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) Fisheries Situation Report for Major Species, total fisheries production grew to 4,339.89 thousand metric tons or by 2.2 percent in 2022 from the previous year’s output of 4,248.26 thousand metric tons.
The report noted increases in production in marine municipal fisheries and aquaculture, while commercial and inland municipal fisheries reported setbacks during the year.
According to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), the municipal and aquaculture sub-sectors contributed 73 percent to the total production of the fisheries sector from 2011 to 2020.
Based on the preliminary estimates of PSA’s 2021 poverty statistics, fisherfolk registered the highest poverty incidence rate of 30.6 percent, higher than the 26.2 percent recorded in 2018.
“This is lamentable and worrisome. Fishermen are the ones worst hit by calamities and high prices of fuel and basic commodities. In their meager income, how can our fishers provide food, medicine, education, clothing, shelter, fund for emergencies for their family?” Lee said.
