P1.6 billion approved for fishport modernization

THE Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA) said on Monday that it approved infrastructure projects worth P1.6 billion to modernize fishports and other key fisheries facilities.

The projects were approved last week by the PFDA Board chaired by Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. The approved spending items included upgrades to the Navotas Fish Port Complex and the construction of the San Vicente Modern Fish Port in Palawan.

The second phase of the Navotas Fish Port Complex project is expected to be completed in December, while the third phase of the project would be completed in June next year. The San Vicente Modern Fish Port project is scheduled for completion in 2028.

PFDA Acting General Manager Glen A. Pangapalan said that the Navotas Fish Port Complex will be expanded by almost 25 hectares, noting that the complex’s operations directly benefit at least 30,000 people, which surges to around 50,000 during the peak season.

The PFDA also said that the San Vicente Modern Fish Port would benefit an estimated 2,000 individuals directly and 20,000 indirectly across the fisheries value chain, with a significant number of beneficiaries including municipal fisherfolk operating in the West Philippine Sea.

Mr. Laurel said he expects the Navotas project to become a future trading hub for both fisheries and agricultural products, and proposed the development of a dedicated agricultural trading area within the complex.

“If producers from places like Lubang can bring their products directly to Navotas instead of passing through other trading centers, we can shorten the supply chain, reduce logistics costs, and improve returns for producers,” Mr. Laurel said in a statement issued by the PFDA. — Marron Joshua F. Mendoza