Around 150 small fisherfolk in Dagupan City received ₱3,000 fuel subsidy cards on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, as rising gasoline prices continue to limit fishing operations.

The city has about 11,000 people engaged in fisheries, aquaculture, and post-harvest work, but officials said only selected beneficiaries qualified for the aid.

Dagupan City Agriculturist Mary Ann Salomon said the program targets small-scale fisherfolk.

“Ang target na nabigyan ng direktang ayuda ay ‘yung mga mismo pong fisherfolk. This is talaga sa mga maliliit na mangingisda na ang kanilang mga bangka from 3.1 pababa,” she said.

The local government organized a one-stop-shop caravan to speed up the release of subsidy cards, each loaded with ₱3,000.

Some fisherfolk said high fuel prices have forced them to reduce or stop going out to sea.

“Grabe po. Triple po kasi ang mahal ng gasolina, ang pangingisda mahina na,” Efren Bautista, president of the Tondaligan Beach Motorboat Association, said.

“Malaking tulong po [ito] sa amin na mga maliliit na mangingisda lalo na ngayon, alam naman natin ‘yung problema ng ating bansa,” Marcos Abayan, president of a local fisherfolk group, said.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), together with the local government, said it continues to monitor the situation and provide support to the sector.

“Nagbibigay po ang BFAR ng assistance gaya ng technologies on cage culture, nagbibigay ng libreng fingerlings, at nagbibigay rin tayo ng bangka,” Chris Cantos, a fisheries officer in Pangasinan, said.