Senators slam DA over galunggong importation

At least five lawmakers slammed the Department of Agriculture’s approval to import 60,000 metric tons of fish for the first quarter of 2022.

In a statement, presidential aspirant and Senator Panfilo Lacson said the move  will “kill” the local fisherfolk.

"Import pa more! After killing our farmers by importing vegetables and fruits, it is the turn of our fishermen to die," he tweeted on Wednesday.

Lacson raised again the corruption issue in the importation of goods in the country, particularly in pork, poultry, and seafood products.

"If corruption infects the Department of Agriculture that should be at the forefront of food security efforts, it goes beyond human conscience," he said.

He also expressed disappointment over the Philippine importation of galunggong from China.

"Because of the incursions of Chinese vessels, we are denied 300,000 metric tons of fish... If you divide 30 million kilos of fish by 40 kilos, that would translate to 7.5 million Filipino families who have to buy fish from sources other than the Philippines. That’s unacceptable," he noted.

Another presidential aspirant, Senator Manny Pacquiao, expressed dismay over the Agriculture department's recent decision.

Both Pacquiao and Lacson pointed out that Philippine waters are full of natural resources.

Pacquiao said Agriculture Secretary William Dar’s admission on the fish shortage in the country is a “manifestation of the government’s inability to properly manage and optimize the country’s rich aquatic resource.”

“This is unbelievable.  Saan ka naman nakakita ng bansang napapaligiran ng mga dagat pero nag-iimport ng mga produktong galing sa dagat? Sobrang kawawa na nga ang ating mga magsasaka dahil sa pagpasok ng napakaraming imported at smuggled na mga bigas at gulay tapos ngayon naman ang mga mangingisda naman natin ang gustong parusahan,” Pacquiao said.

(Can you believe that a country which is surrounded by waters is importing products from the sea? Our farmers are already suffering because of imported and smuggled rice and vegetables then now, our fishermen are bound to suffer the same fate.)

The lawmaker then noted that the Philippines ranks fifth in the world with the longest coastline which makes it ideal for fishing and aquatic farming.

“Dapat tayo ang nag-eexport ng mga isda lalung-lalong na yang mga isdang gaya ng galunggong at makerel dahil marami niyan sa Pilipinas. Paano nangyari na tayo ngayon ang nag iimport samantalang napakaraming Pilipino ang mangingisda?” Pacquiao said.

(We should be the one that is exporting fish. How come that we are the one that is importing these products?)

Senator Imee Marcos, on the other hand, called for the halting of importation as she also warned about its effects on the local fish industry.

“Stop that importation! There’s at least 35,000 [metric tons] still unsold from 2021 importation plus those still to be delivered for Q1 2022! Papatayin nyo ang local fisheries (They will kill the local fisheries),” she said in a text message to reporters.

Both Marcos and Pacquiao noted the National Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (NFARMC) had said that there’s enough fish supply in the country.

Citing data tackled in one NFARMC meeting, Marcos said there are about 35,000 metric tons of fish to be shipped and in storage for the first quarter of the year.

“We [recommended in the NFARMC] there’s no need for another 60,000 metric tons [in the Certificate of Necessity to Import for the] first quarter of 2022 but still Sec. Dar maintained his position… to approve,” she said.

Further, Senator Francis Pangilinan said this move to import fish is an indicator that the agri-fisheries sector has been neglected.

“Taken in the context of our having to import basic food items such as rice, pork and now fish, it is quite unfortunate that for a country that has one of the longest coastlines in the world, we remain seafood insecure. An indicator that our agri fisheries sector has been neglected,’ he said.

“Importation is a stop gap short, term solution to address the supply and price of fish but it  compromises and undermines food security in the long run,” he added.

In the House of Representatives, Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta also hit the DA’s “lack of planning and the years of neglect” which he said describe the plight of the fishermen.

Marcoleta said using Typhoon Odette as an excuse for the importation only exposes the department’s institutional weakness in rehabilitating the fishing industry, emphasizing that the DA must have a “permanent support mechanism” as the country is experiencing around 20 typhoons each year.

“This is not hard to do if we consider that DA’s average annual budget utilization is only in the vicinity of 60%. It can even replicate what Vietnam does more today to subsidize its fishermen: providing them with 12HP of locally manufactured diesel engines,” he said.

On Tuesday, Dar announced that he had approved the importation of 60,000 metric tons of fish for the first three months of 2022 to augment local production amid a projected deficiency.

He approved the importation of small pelagic fishes—such as round scad or galunggong—due to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources’ (BFAR) projection of a potential supply deficiency of 119,000 MT due to the closed fishing season.—LDF, GMA News