TACLOBAN CITY — More than P5 million worth of fisheries assistance was distributed to fisherfolk in Eastern Visayas as government agencies rolled out livelihood support during the Paskong Baybayin: Holiday Salu-Salo with Fisherfolk held on December 12, 2025, in the coastal towns of Palo, Leyte and Guiuan, Eastern Samar.
The activity was led by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Regional Office VIII in partnership with the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and concerned local government units, highlighting the government’s continuing support for coastal communities through direct livelihood interventions.
The assistance included 37 units of fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) boats, assorted fishing gears and paraphernalia, a seaweed harvester boat, and tilapia fingerlings. These interventions benefited six fisherfolk associations and 153 individual fishers from Eastern Samar and Leyte.
According to BFAR, the support is intended to boost fishing capacity, improve productivity, and enhance income opportunities for small-scale fisherfolk across the region.
The turnover coincided with a festive coastal gathering attended by hundreds of fisherfolk and farmers from Guiuan and the Leyte municipalities of Tacloban, Palo, Mayorga, Abuyog, Bato, San Miguel, and Barugo.
Participants shared a communal seafood meal featuring locally harvested fish and shellfish, underscoring the richness of Eastern Visayas’ marine resources and the importance of sustaining them.
The DSWD Regional Office VIII also distributed food packs to participants, while BFAR VIII provided safety and emergency kits to selected fisherfolk in Guiuan.
Dominador Maputol,BFAR-8 officer-in-charge, emphasized the importance of unity and shared responsibility in community development, encouraging families to value nutritious food and recognize the vital role of farmers and fisherfolk in ensuring food security.
Paskong Baybayin is part of a nationwide initiative led by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), which organized simultaneous Christmas-themed community meals across eight sites in seven regions to honor fisherfolk and farmers as frontliners of food production and coastal sustainability.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
