Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA), together with other members of the Technical Working Group of the Philippine Committee against Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (PhilCom-IUUF), held a dialogue on how to provide a stronger and more comprehensive approach to preventing IUUF in the country on May 4, 2023, at the SEDA Hotel, Quezon City.
Organized by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resource (BFAR), the agenda of the meeting was to provide updates on essential mechanisms that protect our seas from IUUF, including Philippine Vessel Monitoring System, Port State Measures, and Traceability System.
BFAR Director Atty. Demosthenes R. Escoto said, “This is just the start of a series of discussions regarding this issue. Let us keep sustaining our enthusiasm and active participation in the fight against IUUF.”
The PhilCom-IUUF, composed of stakeholders from government agencies and the private sector, was created as part of the country’s commitment to upholding the International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter, and Eliminate IUUF developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
According to BFAR, this is critical in attaining long-term conservation and sustainable use of our shared marine resources and ecosystems and ensuring that every Filipino can fully enjoy their right to food security and economic stability.
Since February 2000, the PFDA has been a sturdy member of the One-Stop Action Center (OSAC), a multi-agency government center organized in every designated government-owned or -controlled regional fish port complex whose principal tasks include the processing of documents of fishery products that are to be transshipped to foreign markets and the documentation of incoming and outgoing foreign vessels.
PFDA-OSD Regional and Municipal Project Operations Division (RMPOD) Chief Ms. Janet T. Manalo and Atty. Atty. Fatima Dennise D. Briones of PFDA Legal Division actively represented the agency during the assembly.
(Mark Angelo N. Perez – Public Information Division with report and photos from BFAR Central Office Facebook Page)