SINAG: Fishermen face P500 daily loss amid rising fuel prices, urgent aid needed

The Samahan ng Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) on Thursday expressed deep concern about the surge in oil prices, saying that this has resulted in as much as P500 actual loss per day among small fishermen. 

During a hearing of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform, Jayson Cainglet of SINAG stressed that the rising cost of fuel not only directly affects the transport sector, but also fishers who have to go out to sea for a long time to earn a living. 

“Dahil sa sumipa ‘yung diesel ng P24 per liter in the last seven days, ang actual loss ngayon ng mga mangingisda is P500 a day," Cainglet said.

"Actual ‘yun. Dahil ang dinagdag na krudo na P24 per liter, sa isang maliit na mangingisda na papalaot siya using 40 to 50 liters per ikot niya…sa karagatan, ‘yung P500, ina-absorb niya,” he added.

(Because the price of diesel increased by P24 per liter in the last seven days, the actual loss for fishermen is now P500 a day. That's actual, because the P24 per liter that was added to crude oil, for a small fisherman who goes out to sea using 40 to 50 liters, he absorbs that P500.) 

“Wala pa namang ayudang nakukuha. Wala pa namang discounts sa mga fuel, wala pang discounts sa excise tax man ‘yan o VAT man ‘yan,” he added. 

With the lack of assistance for fisherfolk in terms of cash or fuel discounts, he cautioned that fewer fishers may venture to sea in the weeks to come. 

“Ang problema ngayon, nag-uusap pa eh, bibigay daw ‘yung ayuda in the next two weeks. Kaya lang, baka kung after two weeks, wala nang mangisda kasi ina-absorb ng mga mangingisda ‘yung losses daily,” Cainglet said. 

(The problem now is that authorities are still talking; they say the aid will be given in the next two weeks. But maybe if after two weeks there are no more fishermen because the fishermen absorb the losses daily.) 

“Mas kawawa ‘yung mga mangingisda kasi dagdag sa gastos sa produksyon niya ‘yun. Ina-absorb niyang sarili. ‘Yung mga jeep, pwede huminto nang ilang oras, eh. ‘Yung mga mangingisda, hindi ka naman puwedeng hindi [pumalaot] o mangisda ka nang isa, dalawang oras lang,” he added.

(It’s more difficult for fishermen because it adds to their production costs. They absorb it themselves. The jeepney drivers can stop for a few hours. It’s not the same for fishermen.) 

Adding to the fishers’ problems, he said, is their competition with big commercial fishing vessels.

Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, chairman of the committee, said that he is pushing for an emergency fuel subsidy for the fishermen, considering that about 80% of their expenses are for crude oil.

He thus called on the Department of Agriculture (DA) to immediately release the guidelines for the possible use of the P10-billion fund for the Presidential Assistance to Farmers and Fisherfolk (PAFF) Program. 

“Ngayon, kailangan ng ating mga kababayan, lalo na ang mga mangingisda, itong suporta dahil ang taas ng presyo ng krudo. 80% ng production ng ating mangingisda ay krudo. So you can imagine ‘yung napakabigat at ‘yung assistance, ‘yung fuel subsidy has to happen [as soon as possible],” Pangilinan said in an ambush interview. 

(Our countrymen, especially fishermen, need this support now because the price of crude oil is high. 80% of our fishermen's production is crude oil. So you can just imagine how heavy this is for them. We have to give them fuel subsidies immediately.) 

During the same hearing, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said that small fishermen may receive a fuel subsidy of P3,000 each. 

BFAR National Director Elizer Salilig said that this would come from P50 million deposited in the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), which may help over 15,000 fishermen. 

Pangilinan, however, lamented that a P3,000 fuel subsidy may not be enough. 

DA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa earlier said that DA is looking into tapping the Office of the President’s P10-billion PAFF to expand and extend the fuel subsidy assistance for farmers and fishermen if the impact of the Middle East conflict is prolonged. –NB, GMA Integrated News