DTI HOLDS TUNA CONFERENCE

DTI HOLDS TUNA CONFERENCE

The Planning Workshop for Tuna Industry Sector held at the Conference Room of the Batasang Pambayan (Legislative Building) of Municipality of Sablayan in Occidental Mindoro culminated February 23, 2021 and Vice-Mayor Walter “Bong” B. Marquez addressed the participants during its closing ceremonies. The workshop was spearheaded by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) - Occidental Mindoro. The main facilitator was Mr. Ferdinand T. Aparri, OIC-Provincial Director of the DTI.

The activity aims to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the 2018-2022 Occidental Mindoro Tuna Industry Roadmap and craft annual work plan to catch-up the delay on the implementation due to COVID-19 pandemic. Around 25 key members of the Technical Working Group (TWG) attended the workshop. The TWG was chaired by Mr. Sofronio Barranda, Provincial Agriculturist.

In his speech, Vice-Mayor Marquez, stressed importance of tuna production in the general agricultural uplifting of Municipality of Sablayan. The town’s chief legislator hopes for a sustained and improved framework and doable plan through the formation of said multi-sectoral group. In 2019, Sablayan was considered by the World Wildlife Philippines as the “emerging new tuna capital” of the Philippines. Marquez greatly expects a more sustainable tuna fishing and tuna industry in the coming years.

Technically, sustainable tuna fishing is selective and helps preserve marine species by using different methods of capture. In the Sablayan, fishermen are encouraged to use artisanal or pole-and-line fishing, instead of using large, industrial nets that will inevitably capture and kill a lot of marine life that are not tuna.

The tuna industry for decades been considered as one of the backbones of Sablayan’s economy.