Twenty more fishermen received fish hooks and nylon lines intended for multiple handline fishing, while others obtained gillnets, rubber floats, and sinkers for gillnet fishing.

BFAR also distributed salt-making tools and equipment including cheesecloth, plastic pails, canvas, bamboo baskets, 200-liter plastic drums, a sack-sewing machine, and a water pump to Patria Papaitan Fishing Association.

A total of 60 fisherfolk benefitted from this project under the National Fisheries Program and the Development of Salt Industry Project.

According to aquaculturist Aileen Garcia of BFAR Antique, the project embodies active public participation in the government’s community development efforts, following a consultative dialogue with stakeholders on the needs of the fisherfolk.

Pandan Mayor Engr. Tomas Estoperez, Jr. expressed his gratitude to BFAR, Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, and Congressman Antonio Legarda, Jr. for their fund allocation and continuous support to the agri-fisheries sector of Antique. 

Other beneficiaries also conveyed their appreciation for the initiatives of BFAR, the local government of Pandan, and the offices of Sen. Loren Legarda and Cong. Antonio Agapito Legarda and other government entities were instrumental in improving their lives through livelihood support programs. (AGP/BPS/PIA Antique)