LEADERS of the House of Representatives on Friday said that the public consultation with Zambales fisherfolk was an eye-opener as they vowed to create an inter-agency panel tasked to look into the grievances raised during the hearing and the possible solutions suggested by stakeholders in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr. said Congress will definitely take note of what transpired in the joint hearing of the House Committees on National Defense and Security and the Special Committee on the West Philippine Sea that the House leader described as very emotional.
“Malapit na naman ‘yung budget season. Narinig natin iyong ating mga fisherfolks. So rest assured that we will form an inter-agency (panel) para magkaroon ng kasagutan itong kahilingan at kanilang mga nararamdaman,” Gonzales said during the press briefing after the hearing.
“Kanina nakita ninyo may umiiyak na fisherfolk at iyan eh nakakadugo sa puso. Iyan ang hanapbuhay nila. So more reasons, ang sabi nga ng leader ng Kongreso, si Speaker Martin Romualdez, na we will go here para makinig kami sa mga hinaing ng ating mga kababayan dito sa Zambales,” he added.
Iloilo Rep. Raul “Buboy” Tupas, vice-chairperson of the House Committee on National Defense and Security, the problems faced by Zambales fishermen from the aggressions of China in Philippine territory may require a multisectoral or inter-agency approach.
During the hearing, one of the problems raised by fishermen is that they cannot use the boats being provided by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
“Complex po ang isyu na ito, complex po ang problemang ito. Kaya kailangan po natin ng tulong ng maraming ahensya ng gobyerno. Ang pwede po nating approach na makuha dito, interagency or even multi-sectoral approach,” Tupas said.
“At kanina po, lumabas sa public consultation ang maraming solusyon na minungkahi ng local government ng Masinloc, ng provincial government ng Zambales, lalong lalo na po yung mga representante ng mga asosasyon ng mangingisda,” he added.
“Hopefully po we will be able to overcome ito pong mga obstacles at ma-convert natin into stepping stones. Yan ang unang nasabi ni Speaker Martin Romualdez nung nagkaroon siya ng adjournment message. Talagang inuna niya na kailangan talaga ng national security, kailangan ng economic activity para po umasenso ang ating bansa at dumating ang tulong sa ating pong mga marginalized sectors.”
Zambales Rep. Jefferson Khonghun said the House of Representatives will surely exercise its oversight functions to validate the grievances of the Zambales fishermen.
“Hindi po nagkukulang ang Kongreso sa pagbibigay ng pondo sa BFAR. Hindi po nagkukulang ang ating Presidente sa pagpapaalala sa BFAR na gawin po iyong kanilang trabaho at talagang bumaba sa ating mga mangingisda at alamin iyong kanilang mga pangangailangan,” Khonghun said.
“Nandito po kami bilang isa sa mga responsibilidad ng Kongreso is yung oversight function. So, isa sa mga importanteng nalaman natin na hindi angkop kiyong mga bangka na ipinamimigay nila. Isa iyon sa mga sisilipin at titingnan ng Kongreso. Siyempre sa pangunguna ng ating speaker, Speaker Martin Romualdez,” he added.
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