COA flags BFAR for inefficient maintenance and delivery of boats

The Commission on Audit has flagged the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) for failing to deliver 199 fishing boats on time and poorly maintaining 57 foreign-funded vessels purchased from 2001 to 2009.

The delivery of fiberglass motorized bancas in Regions 3 and 10 is still incomplete since BFAR only started distributing them in the 4th quarter of 2017, the commission noted.

Region 3 has Fifty-seven boats have been undistributed in Region 3, while the delivery of 10 fishing vessels remain pending, according to COA.

The boats were part of BFAR’s P26.398-million Fishing Gear/Paraphernalia (FGPs) distribution to improve food security and raise the income of the agriculture and fishery sector.

COA said only 153 boats out of the 400 targeted for Region 3 have been completed, and only 96 have been distributed.

None was delivered in Region 10 since all 142 boats were still under construction as of Dec. 31, 2017 due to delayed delivery of materials. BFAR decided to build them on its own.

“Had the FGPs been purchased and distributed in the early part of the year, additional livelihood opportunities could have been generated by the intended beneficiaries, through the convenience of handling and conducting properly their fishing activities, thus, contributing somehow in conserving and protecting fisheries and aquatic resources,” COA said.

The COA audit team urged BFAR’s Region 3 office to hasten the delivery of fishing boats, while the Region 10 office was told to coordinate with Provincial Fishery Offices and local government units regarding the distribution to fisherfolk.

The bureau agreed to implement the recommendations with the concerned regional offices.

Poor maintenance

Meanwhile, only seven of the 14 monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS) patrol vessels were declared as “ready-for-sea.” COA said. This was funded by Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria and Instituto de Credito Oficial to the tune of P991 million in 2001.

Five vessels are due for maintenance works, but COA said the drydocking will only start once BFAR has extra funds.

COA further said the seven operational MCS vessels lacked the equipment to ensure the safety of the personnel on-board.

“The MCS vessels in BFAR CO (Central Office) were reported as ready for sea despite non-operational auxiliary engines, machinery, navigational and communications equipment,” COA said.

“The safety of the crew on board the MCS vessels at the high seas for the conduct of monitoring and surveillance operations may be compromised or at risk. Any distress signal cannot be received/sent as the VHF/UHF all-mode transceivers are not operational,” it added.

BFAR said it could note repair or replace worn out equipment of the MCS vessels “due to non-availability of budget for capital outlays.”

The bureau also agreed to allot funds for the MCS vessels and prevent their further deterioration.

US-funded patrol boats

BFAR also has 43 patrol vessels at its disposal courtesy of a P96-million grant from the United States’ Public Law (PL) 480, or the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act.

The boats were distributed to coastal towns in Bohol, Cebu, Palawan, Negros Oriental, Sarangani, Batangas, Aurora, Compostela Valley, Davao Oriental, Marinduque, Mindoro Oriental, Siquijor, Davao del Sur, and Davao del Norte.

COA said the whereabouts of patrol boats could not be ascertained as BFAR was not able to properly monitor them.

The last time the bureau monitored the vessels was in 2015. Mindoro Oriental and Sarangani last issued a report on the boats in 2016.

Based on those reports, COA noted that thirty-seven LGUs had funds to use the patrol boats for monitoring coastal waters. But since there was no monitoring after that, COA said it was not able to determine what happened in the case of two LGUs while the ownership of four vessels were transferred since the LGUs concerned were no longer able to fund the operations.

Five LGUs used their funds for tourism activities, the commission said.

BFAR agreed to conduct periodic monitoring of the US-funded patrol boats and require LGUs to issue status reports and remind them that the vessels must be used solely for their intended purpose. —Joseph Tristan Roxas/VDS, GMA News